Page 48 - European Energy Innovation - Spring 2016 publication
P. 48
48 Spring 2016 European Energy Innovation
FACTORIES OF THE FUTURE
Factories of the Future: Energy
Efficiency in Re-Industrialization
By Patrick Kennedy
Europe has a strong and vibrant can be attributable to manufacturing. The research and innovation priorities
manufacturing sector. Despite Achieving reductions in the of our ‘Factories of the Future 2020’
numerous challenges from consumption of energy and increasing strategy include those that focus
competition and economic energy efficiency is no easy task. directly on energy efficiency and
crises, this industry continues to related issues. These include energy-
grow. In Europe manufacturing is In order to support advances in monitoring and management,
responsible for the employment of manufacturing, including greater product-service simulation for
around 30 million people and for energy efficiency, the European Union greater sustainability, on-demand
more than 80% of exports. Clearly launched the ‘Factories of the Future’ manufacturing and new approaches
manufacturing matters for Europe. research and innovation partnership. to the design and management of
Supported through the EU’s Horizon manufacturing strategies.
Every high‑value product or service 2020 research and innovation
has a manufacturing process behind programme, ‘Factories of the Future’ is Our strategy makes it clear that
it. This includes, but is not limited to, a €1.15 billion seven year partnership products of the future will become
the products/services that rely on supporting pre-competitive increasingly complex. Therefore our
photonics, nanotechnology, advanced collaborative research. manufacturing process must evolve
materials, micro/nano‑electronics whilst reducing energy consumption
and biotechnology, along with The ‘Factories of the Future’ through intelligent, adaptive and
advanced manufacturing systems. programme identifies the European scalable systems.. For us the future
Manufacturing processes themselves Union’s ‘Europe 2020’ strategic aim of means that, in an agile market,
require increasing amounts of energy. a 20% increase in energy efficiency, Europe’s manufacturing systems and
However manufacturing companies as one which it can help to realise. processes will need to adapt to the
continue to push for greater energy The programme supports research differing demands of both the market
efficiency. Reducing the consumption and innovation to produce goods and the factory by making use of
of energy, while increasing the usage which will realise greater energy and intelligent robots and machines which
of renewable energy, is crucial as nearly resource efficiency through efficient cooperate with each other and with
one third of global energy demand factories. people, in an autonomous manner
while maximising their efficiency in
energy consumption.
The factories of the future will not only
be continuously more energy efficient
but will also be the places in which
new energy-efficient technologies
will be manufactured. Therefore the
partnership is aiming to achieve
greater efficiencies as well as to
increase our ability to manufacture
those technologies which will enable
greater energy-efficiency in other
sectors.
© EFFRA / FMMI ‘Factories of the Future’ energy-
efficiency is not an issue which can be
considered in isolation. From planning
to real-time management, multiple
issues need to be considered as each
one has an effect on the other. In the
‘Factories of the Future’ partnership
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
