EDITOR ’ S CHOICE SIMPLIFYING SUSTAINABILITY
NOVOTEK
Making production processes more sustainable
In 2015 , government leaders from around the world reached the Paris Agreement , pledging to keep global temperature increases to below two degrees Celsius . Achieving this goal requires a significant shift in energy globally , both in terms of generation and use in energy-intense markets such as the industrial sector . Here , George Walker , managing director of Novotek UK and Ireland , explores how industrial business leaders can simplify the process of managing energy usage and improving sustainability .
According to PwC ’ s 23rd Annual Global CEO Survey , almost one-in-four ( 24 per cent ) of global CEOs surveyed in late 2019 were extremely concerned about climate change , marking a 25 per cent increase compared to the year prior . This reflects the ongoing drive by industry , public and policy alike to reduce global carbon emissions and turn the tide on manmade climate change .
Even for CEOs and business leaders that are not personally concerned by the issue of climate change directly , sustainability remains a key focus . PwC ’ s survey also found that 25 per cent of respondents saw commercial opportunities due to climate change initiatives . Similarly , increasingly strict regulation and standards will make effective energy management , reduced power usage and more sustainable operations more financially appealing , particularly for the traditionally powerintense manufacturing sector .
In the UK , the industrial sector encompasses just shy of one-third of the country ’ s annual energy demand , with approximately 117,149 gigawatt hours needed to maintain operations each year . Most manufacturers have started taking steps to reduce this energy demand by investing in energy efficient technologies and metering systems . However , these technologies are only as useful as they are monitored and managed , which can be more difficult for larger industrial businesses .
Yet sustainable business practices do not stop at energy usage . Industrial plant managers aiming to improve operational sustainability will also need to consider factors such as water usage . This is more challenging , and therefore arguably more important , in process industries such as food manufacturing or chemical engineering .
Plant managers can , however , make sustainability more manageable by integrating it into industrial management systems alongside other key process performance data . In doing this , it not only becomes easier to visualise and monitor , but it also allows for a more comprehensive and practical strategy .
For example , a plant might have a fleet of 30 water meters and 100 smart energy meters . The data from these meters could be integrated into an industrial software platform to show plant managers clearly that usage is high . This might flag the issue , but it doesn ’ t offer much in the way of insights . But if this data is viewed alongside the data from washdown schedules , pump pressure or motor speed , plant managers have a glimpse into the underlying issue . It could be that adjusting the pressure of a pump or the speed of several motors could positively affect resource use .
Across an entire production facility , there could be hundreds or thousands of minor adjustments that can reduce energy usage and support more sustainable operation . The bigger an industrial business is , the more difficult this may be to see all these opportunities for improvement .
That ’ s why at Novotek , we recommend larger industrial businesses consider operations management software that can present insights into collected data in different ways , including running calculations on field data that can scale it up to form a clear picture of everything from energy consumption to overall equipment effectiveness .
Improving sustainability as an industrial business is no easy task , and it ’ s one that differs substantially from one company to the next . Although globally we have a general agreement that action is needed to minimise global temperature rises , there can be no consensus on what specific actions need to be taken to do this . That ’ s why the best path forward is one where energy demand and resource consumption is managed closely by plant managers — and that ’ s a step most businesses can take .
For further information , please visit www . novotek . com / uk
18 PECM Issue 48