The proposed change project is based on the need for industry to reduce its spending on energy, to take steps to protect the environment and to preserve jobs. The aim of the research is to develop a suitable framework and energy performance indicators for mapping energy usage by value-stream in an Advanced Manufacturing Facility in order to support reductions in the product's CO2 emissions through energy efficiency measures, integrated renewable energy sources and more sustainable manufacturing processes.
A product based approach to tracking energy consumption will be extended to a value stream based Manufacturing Facility, in Ireland. A new framework and ontology for mapping energy usage by value-stream (VS) will be developed. The proposed VS approach to energy accounting and hierarchical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will drive the User Pays principle where the VS will be measured based on their actual consumption. This novel approach will leverage continuous process improvement cycles in production and will drive reductions in CO2 emissions.
The proposed KPIs will be encoded into new Adapters/Function blocks which can be integrated with software tools. The VS approach will be flexible to changes in manufacturing and will be validated through an industry case study.
The project is in its final stages, with completion due in 2017.
Contact details:
jocosgrove@cardiffmet.ac.uk
