Managing Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Processes - Implementing Energy Performance in Production Information Technology Systems

Climate change and unsecured energy supply are topics that become increasingly important in today’s society. Although renewable energy technologies may be a long-term solution, more efficient energy use potentially makes a high and economic contribution to the given challenges in the short term. New CO2 regulations, rising energy prices and environmentally aware customers make energy efficient manufacturing a priority topic on the agenda of industrial companies. This paper focuses on drives for industrial companies to become more energy efficient in their manufacturing processes by integrating energy efficiency performance information and communication technology (ICT) in production management systems. Based on an EU roadmapping project, the paper analyzes which management tools and concepts support manufacturing companies to successfully implement energy efficiency improvement measures. By integrating energy efficiency performance criteria in ICT systems, decision-makers in industrial companies will be supplied with real-time and accurate information enabling them to make more effective business decisions.