Digital Transformation: Empowering Green Manufacturing

In this article, we highlight digital transformation and empowering green manufacturing.

There is no denying the voice of climate action has grown louder during recent years and arguably about time too. Last year the United Kingdom became the first major economy to pass net zero emissions law. This set the target to “bring all greenhouse emissions to net zero by 2050.”

Since then organisations across sectors are committing to sustainability plans and searching for new ways that help them become greener. The COVID-19 global pandemic has renewed this impetus. Businesses have been forced to consider their current systems and reflect on how they may be more efficient, less reliant on exported resources and more agile to respond to changing global markets.

Green Manufacturing

Today, UK manufacturers are lighting a blazing trail towards a greener future. According to The Manufacturer if the UK continues to lead the world in Green Manufacturing it could see an additional £8bn – £20bn to the economy and create 400,000 to 1 million jobs.

The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) believe the UK are well placed to lead the way in building a greener future.

James Selka, CEO of the MTA stated in a recent report,

“Green growth is an important economic driver – growing around four times faster than the overall economy. Starting early gives companies the best chance of staying ahead and diversifying into future products and markets.”

Later he added:

“Going green is not an option, it is a necessity. The UK has a worldwide reputation for innovation within manufacturing and engineering.”

At TotalControlPro® we stand by these beliefs and we are committed to supporting both the UK and global Manufacturing to achieve a greener, more sustainable production method.

The Benefits

Let us first take a deeper look at why manufacturers should consider their green agendas. Amidst the manufacturing industry, a key question that arises is how achieving zero carbon emissions will benefit such a demanding industry.

Drawing from an article written by Blue and Green at the start of the year, the benefits of Green Manufacturing are clear:

• The People – Ultimately customers respect companies who are green-conscious and have a specific goal in mind, such as helping the planet become healthier. Being conscious of the system used to produce your goods so they do not evoke environmental harm enables companies to label products as eco-conscious and adds a competitive edge to your business.
• The Growth – For any business to survive and thrive it needs to see revenue. The importance now is how manufacturers can achieve this whilst also maintaining sustainability. Anne Qureshi from Blue and Green Tomorrow states “a smart manufacturing company is going to see that the only way to continue making money is to go green.” By committing to a green agenda, consumers, government bodies and partners alike will trust your brand more and sharing this commitment will uphold your position within the changing nature of the UK marketplace.
• The Savings – The extent of savings that can be unlocked is both long and short-term. Immediate impacts come from the need to buy less paper, yes, but in the long term, it is about so much more. Finding creative ways to reduce waste by streamlining your processes so they are more efficient will see dramatic cost reduction:

“Going green means investing in things like real-time manufacturing analytics, which links big data to manufacturing and helps pinpoint issues before they become larger ones.”

• The Morale – Stepping up and embracing the journey to a greener future should be highly rewarding for you personally but most importantly for your whole organisation. It will encourage employees to feel proud of the culture of their organisation as they know in a small way they too are making a difference. Improved employee morale has further knock-on effects, such as high employee well-being, increased productivity and employee retention (see previous Productivity Hack on Employee Wellbeing).

Our Commitment

So how does TotalControlPro® support manufacturers with their Green Agenda?

Digital Transformation is a term that is currently flying through industry conversations. But what does it mean? Digital transformation is the removal of paper-based production tracking processes and the introduction of smart technologies that enable manufacturers to digitally view LIVE production lines. At TotalControlPro® we believe supporting manufacturers to embrace digital transformation is the opportunity to achieve the net zero goal.

We help our customers go green by helping them not only go paperless, but track stoppages, and wastage, manage scrappage, understand machine efficiencies and ensure machine maintenance. Our cloud-based platform helps reduce server running costs and maintenance whilst also utilising web conferencing to enable remote working, therefore reducing the company’s carbon footprint and miles on the road.

Ultimately our Manufacturing Platform ensures cost effectiveness in people, products and processes. We enable businesses to improve their output more efficiently and therefore reek less havoc on the world’s finite resources.

To understand how our software tools can positively impact your organisation, click here to reserve a quick demo with our team.