case study on green manufacturing

Green manufacturing concept: A case study in foundry industry

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Jasvinder Singh , Chandan Deep Singh , Dharmpal Deepak; Green manufacturing concept: A case study in foundry industry. AIP Conf. Proc. 20 February 2024; 2986 (1): 030077. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0195592

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The objectives of this case study are to take care of the green manufacturing components that contribute to economic stability. The manufacturing industry can reduce its carbon footprint by implementing green manufacturing concept techniques. The sector contributes to decrease pollutions and its effects on the environment. The current study combines a survey conducted on the basis of questionnaire and green idea recommendations from industry professionals. The outcome divides the green notion into eight categories. Green design initiative, Role of legislation in promoting GM, organizational style, Eco knowledge, Business environment, society influences, financial incentive and innovation. The data was examined using the Cronbach alpha. The findings reveal that elements with a higher reliability index than 0.7 should receive greater attention when it comes to implementing the green idea in the industrial business.

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• Diversitech Team
• Mar 7, 2022

15 Sustainable Manufacturing Examples and Case Studies

Updated: Nov 17, 2023

The environment and society are intricately linked. This is something that companies have come to realize, with many now making efforts towards sustainable manufacturing as a way of ensuring both cost efficiency while meeting expectations from customers or investors alike, and local communities that could be impacted.

The environmental and economic benefits of green growth are becoming more well-known, with many businesses already taking important steps towards it. Their pioneering experiences show that this can go hand in hand for profitability as well as sustainability.

Here are 8 reasons why big brands are moving towards sustainable products

Sustainable Manufacturing Case Studies

Sustainability is the future , but many businesses have not yet leapt into this new era. They may be struggling with their short-term survival or cost pressure from clients and lack of knowledge on how best to invest in environmental improvement. It can also simply seem like an overwhelming task for those who are just starting out.

Related Article: Case Study: Taking Advantage of ODM Manufacturing

Here are some examples and brief case studies which will help show how this new approach has helped businesses save money in addition to improving their products or operations.

1. Gairdin: Manufactures sustainable gardening tools and pots

Gairdín, pronounced “Gar-Jean”, is the Gaelic Irish word for garden. They specialise in garden tools that are environmentally friendly, made from recycled and sustainable raw materials like Ocean-Bound Plastics and Algae-Blended Resin. Gairdin are a division of Diversitech Global comprising 20 years of industrial expertise in product design, manufacture and packaging. Find originality and innovation with sustainable materials always top-most in mind.

Related Article: 7 Sustainable Gardening Practices for Environmentally Conscious Individuals

2. Electrolux, Kinston Plant: Reduced energy cnsumption

The Electrolux Green Spirit program made an impactful approach to reducing energy consumption and environmental impact. Their Kinston factory achieved this by running the processes as efficiently as possible, switching off all equipment when not in use, lowering the plant's demand for compressed air and installing motion sensors for lighting. And engaged engineering and maintenance personnel to find and repair a compressed air leak every day.

3. Advanced Composite Structure: Eliminated excess raw material usage

Using lean manufacturing and a value mapping process, their production processes and the layout of the company’s production area were analyzed and reviewed. They eliminated excess movement, materials, and extra tooling to help create a more streamlined product flow. The company reduced costs by 65%, increased production from 20 units per shift to 45 units per shift, reduced its production facility size by 73%, and reduced scrap rates from 24% to 1.8%.

4. Guardian Automotive: Implemented a waste recycling program

Guardian Automotive is committed to reducing its environmental footprint. They have implemented a waste reduction program for them not only to be sustainable but also more efficient with resources. The company is now recycling among other materials unused glass cullet, fiberglass and scrap polyvinyl chloride. In 2005, the Ligonier Plant recycled more than 13,000 tons of waste and saved over $360,000.

5. Custom Print: Reduced its chemical inventory

When an investigation into the company’s chemical inventory and purchasing records revealed over 80 different chemicals on-site, a team from press operators to maintenance personnel got together for some brainstorming sessions to reduce inventory. Wasted ink was reduced by training employees to mix speciality colors from existing ink stocks. Furthermore, they came up with suggestions like modifying ventilation and air-conditioning efficiency to help improve worker health as well as greatly reduce energy costs.

6. Chrome Deposit Corporation: Cut down natural gas consumption

To increase energy efficiency and improve their responsible business practices, Chrome Deposit Corporation embarked on an effort to develop new ways of doing things. By making simple changes like adjusting boiler settings and repairing minor gas line leakages, the company was able to cut its natural gas consumption by 12%. They also purchased two chillers which implemented a closed loop system for water use. This resulted in an 85% reduction in water usage.

7. Kennecott Utah Copper Refinery: Improved power grid efficiency

Kennecott Utah has improved the energy efficiency of its refinery through the installation of a combined heat and power system. Their 6-megawatt system replaced power purchased from the coal-powered grid. It supplies more than half of the refinery’s total electricity needs and waste heat is recycled to make steam for turbines. Among deep reductions in emitted pollutants, CO2 emissions were reduced by 36,000 tonnes.

8. Besam North America: Improved energy and waste handling

With serious consultation and recommendations, Besam targeted energy, waste, and productivity surveys. This included replacing metal halide lighting with fluorescent fixtures with occupancy sensors, installation of high-efficiency lamps and electronic ballasts, reducing compressor air pressure, and repair of compressed air leaks

9. Rapid-Line: Sustainable operations to reduce its natural gas usage

Rapid-Line which fabricates and tooling for the manufacturing industry was experiencing a significant increase in their natural gas costs. Also, one of their customers encouraged them to get more involved with green practices. A new installation of ceiling fans and baffles made for better heating and cooling. Extra insulation, automated controls and reusing excess heat from the paint-line ovens boosted efficiencies and eliminated external furnace heating.

10. Isothane: Replaced hazardous raw materials with sustainable alternatives

Isothane manufactures chemical products used for insulating and protecting constructions, buildings and civil engineering structures. New government legislation had been introduced with strict emission standards and to comply with flameproof manufacturing and storage standards. They spent two months researching less hazardous and flammable chemical alternatives. Substitute materials were found and old lines were discontinued. Solvent material use was greatly decreased and much less hazardous material was stored on-site.

11. Wausau Tile: Used recycled glass chip as raw material

Wausau Tile wanted to save money and use less natural raw materials while being environmentally conscious. The company believed that by using post-consumer/industrial glass chips, which is difficult and expensive to recycle, they could reduce their environmental impact and attract new customers with their decorative value. With the use of large glass chip aggregate, they were able to make their products attractive and architecturally pleasing, and have introduced it across whole product lines.

12. Calstone: Sustainable furniture production

The company found that it could expand its market by selling more environmentally sustainable furniture products. Major changes were brought to its manufacturing plant. A vapour spray system reduced degreasing agents used on metal components. A 2000 gallon water tank reuses water for cooling equipment, and rainwater is collected for toilet flushing. Installed skylights brought in natural light for the benefit of indoor foliage plants that purify the indoor air. The company buys electricity from a hydro and wind power provider and has installed solar panels on the roof.

13. PortionPac Chemical Corporation: Products assessment based on green standards

Intending to become more sustainable, the company began an assessment on its products and obtained third-party green certification for all floor cleaners, all-purpose cleaners, glass cleaners and bowl cleaners. Also, by updating packaging components, they reduced waste, disposal costs and shipping. In addition, they also found a buyer for one of their by-product materials. These steps made PortionPac attractive to large businesses, schools and hospitals as they had the sustainability credentials along with their potential for saving costs

14. S.C. Johnson: Reduced environmental effects of its ingredients

In order to continue producing high-quality products with an environmentally-friendly mindset, S.C Johnson has developed their Greenlist system which ranks the environmental and health effects of ingredients used in its manufacturing process leading to the reformulation of many old favorites. After reviewing Saran Wrap usage, the company eliminated 4 million pounds of PVDC and reduced 1.8 million pounds of volatile organic compounds from its famous Windex product.

15. Honda: Reduced scarce material usage

Honda is serious about sustainability. They have a Green Path program that targets reductions in the use of materials and scarce resources, developing products that are easier to recycle, and reduced water waste as well CO2 emissions during manufacture. Honda uses wind turbines at its Ohio plant to generate 10,000-megawatt hours of electricity per year. It also moves 80% of vehicles from plant to dealership by train, which has reduced CO2 emissions by over 60%.

So, what does this mean for sustainable manufacturers? It means that making a switch to producing sustainable products is not only the best thing to do for the environment, but it’s also a wise business decision. Consumers are more interested than ever in buying sustainable products and that trend is only going to continue.

Making the switch to sustainable manufacturing may seem daunting, but it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. There are plenty of resources and support systems in place to help you get started. And the best part is, making the right choice for your business and the environment can also be good for you.

See our article: Is it Really cheaper to manufacture in China

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What Is Green Manufacturing, and Why Does It Matter?

A truly sustainable manufacturing process is the goal for many companies. In this article, we take a look at the Green Manufacturing framework that we deem to be the most practical and relevant to help reach that goal. 

Can Manufacturing Be Sustainable?

Before we dive deeper into why Green Manufacturing can be a beneficial approach for your company, let’s clear up the terminology. As much as we’d like to see the manufacturing industry be sustainable, at the moment, it’s a bit of an  oxymoron .

Manufacturing is the process of turning raw materials into finished goods. That, by definition, is not sustainable. A sustainable business creates interchangeable inputs and outputs. It’s a closed-loop, also known as cradle to cradle. Ideally, a sustainable manufacturing plant would:

• produce more energy than it uses;
• create more new materials than it uses;
• produce zero waste;
• clean more air and water than it pollutes.

Today reaching just one of the criteria mentioned above is a strong sign of a company’s leadership in environmental issues. Reaching all of them is something that seems impossible for most companies.

Learn more: How to Define Waste in Manufacturing?

Sustainable manufacturing examples

Truly sustainable manufacturing is no easy goal to achieve, but many good examples exist. We can’t vouch for these companies meeting all the criteria above, but they are definitely examples of the best practice.

For example:

• Sierra Nevada , a well-known California beer brand. In the company’s California facilities beermakers, compost waste generated from the brewery into the soil. This improves the soil’s fertility which is then used to grow new barley and hops to make more beer.
• Patagonia  – an American retailer of outdoor clothing. As of 2020, they’re at 100% renewable electricity in the US and 76% globally, achieved through both on-site and off-site installations. And that’s not all of it – in 2020 94% of their product line used recycled materials and they repaired over 100 thousand garments to extend their life cycle. On top of that, they also have been contributing one percent (1%) of their annual net revenues to nonprofit charitable organizations that promote environmental conservation and sustainability.
• Germany’s Siemens AG also provides a story of reinvention. The company’s spin-off  Siemens Energy Global established in 2020, has become a major supplier of renewable power and energy solutions for the developing world.

However, the majority of the manufacturers are far from the examples shared above. Due to various roadblocks, for many, it’s been challenging to move the needle in becoming truly sustainable. For these companies, the Green Manufacturing approach has been highly beneficial.

What is Green Manufacturing?

Green Manufacturing, also known as Lean & Green , is an approach to evaluating and improving the manufacturing process. It’s based on Lean manufacturing principles and thus provides a dynamic, proven, and successful approach to going green.

The Green Manufacturing framework is built around the 7 Green Value streams and offers a clear vision to strive for in each of them, for example reaching 100% renewable energy powered operations or zero waste sent to landfill.

It’s also important to note that there currently is no accreditation or external audits for implementing the Green Manufacturing framework. This framework is useful for manufacturers to improve their processes, track their progress and share that progress with stakeholders. 

Green value stream approach

The difference between Lean and Green is that in the case of Lean, waste is viewed  from the customer perspective , and in the case of Green –  from the environment’s perspective .

The rest of the framework – principles, processes, and tools – are applied in the same way for both Lean and Green, which makes it familiar to manufacturers and therefore easy to apply in practice.

Waste in a non-value-adding activity from the customers perspective.

• Transportation
• Overproduction
• Excess processing

Waste is considered from the environmental perspective.

• Waste to landfill
• Biodiversity

The frameworks used in the lean approach, for example, DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control), can be used also for Green manufacturing implementation. That is possibly the best part about implementing Green – manufacturers can use the same time-tested approaches to tackle waste.

Learn more: Introduction to Lean Six Sigma DMAIC Methodology & DMAIC Project Example

Benefits of Green Manufacturing

The economic benefits of going green (and lean) are significant, and every business that has yet to move in this direction has an opportunity to discover it for themselves. Those who have already taken steps in this direction report many gains.

It has been proven that companies that work on their ESG (environmental, social, and governance) performance, do better financially. A meta-study evaluating over 2000 individual analyses of ESG performance across investment firms between 1970 and 2014 confirms this. In  nearly half of the cases , companies with good ESG performance offered better financial returns. And only 11% showed a negative correlation.

Cost savings

The logic behind this one is straightforward – if you reduce the volume of raw materials and resources you use to produce the final product, you reduce their cost. Many companies benefit from these savings already by implementing new initiatives like energy-saving (reduce energy costs), pollution reduction (reduce taxes to the government), economical driving (reduce fuel costs), or raw material reuse and reduction (reduce costs of sourcing new materials).

In  a survey executed by Deloitte  in 2021, almost half of the 750 executives surveyed reported that their environmental sustainability initiatives measurably boosted their corporate financial performance.

Increased customer loyalty and attraction

While price and quality have long been—and remain—the dominant motivations in consumers’ choice rationale, the expectations have risen on other fronts, too. It is as important as ever for companies to show their  responsibility, trustworthiness, and good reputation .

Beyond that, customers are ready to pay extra for sustainable products –  85% of consumers have become ‘greener’  in their purchasing in recent years*.* Making your products greener will help you keep your current customers while helping you attract new ones.

Improved employee engagement and retention

Many of us are acutely aware of the costs associated with attracting and keeping the best employees. With companies competing for talent globally, company values and way of working play an essential role.  Employees are concerned with the environment  and want to work for companies that share their values.

On top of that, numerous reports show just how important employee engagement is for keeping your teams functional. Working with Lean & Green methodology inevitably will help you engage your team to achieve all of these goals.

Innovation and development of new technologies

Going green will push you into looking into new technologies and ways of doing things better. And that is innovation. Striving to become a green manufacturer can’t happen without increased productivity, reduction of lead times, increased capacity, and so on.

For example, if you’re using new technologies to track and measure your OEE, your company will inevitably use fewer resources to produce the same product.

Increased profit and shareholder value

The profitability of going green has been proven in research for years, but it depends on the company’s ability to integrate best-practice sustainability approaches. In his book  “The New Sustainability Advantage”, Bob Willard  (an internationally renowned leader in sustainability subject) estimates that if a typical company were to implement best-practice sustainability practices, it could improve its profit by at least  51% to 81% within three to five years . The business opportunity is related to increased revenue, reduced energy, waste management, water, and material expenses among other factors.

Integrating Green Manufacturing Into Your Workflow

Sustainability is not a trend that will pass, but rather a vision for a low-carbon, low-waste future. And inevitably Green Manufacturing plays a crucial role in reaching that. The good thing about this framework is that you can use it as a standalone, continuous-improvement approach or easily integrate it with existing continuous-improvement efforts.

To learn more about Green Manufacturing topic, we suggest reading the book  “Green Intentions” by Brett Wills . It’s a great and practical resource to help manufacturers on their journey and has inspired the content of this article. 

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IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN MANUFACTURING IN INDUSTRY - A CASE STUDY

The aim of this paper is to identify the factors that helps to implement the green manufacturing in the industry. The CO2 emission and the waste that is generated from the industry is one of the main factor for the environmental degradation which leads to global warming and acid rain. Government rules and regulation are the key important factors that helps achieve the environmental, economic and intangible performance. Data regarding the survey was collected and analyzed by the mean score. Implementation of these factors in the industry helps achieve economic growth at national and international level.

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In India construction industry is improving the social, economic and environmental indicators of sustainability. We aware about that the endangering the future of forth coming generations due to leaving depleted resources or no resources. As far as concerns with growing sustainability have led the construction industry to adopt various policies for reducing the impacts caused by construction activities. The aim of this study are to find out the awareness and extent to which sustainable procurement practices in Nasik city is carried in construction industry. To find out what construction industry thinks on sustainable procurement. In this qualitative methods is used which are based on descriptive scales. The entire analysis is carried out by statistical analysis method and relative important index, and then by the score computed ranking is be done. There are many barriers that came forward through the survey which needs to be worked out by the industry so that such an important issue can be solved. Lack of sustainable performance in the project is because of issue is not being brought into the focus and even the industry is not well known about the benefits of the green products. From the overall survey carried it can be concluded that the entire topic needs to be focused and for the same experts opinion and views for the same should be taken into consideration, and also use of sustainable materials should be increased and social awareness should be created.

At present, industries face remarkable pressure from customer's environmental awareness, stricter environmental regulations and in integrating the ethical and environmental concerns from all dimensions of managing a traditional supply chain. Green supply chain management (GSCM) is a familiar and a proven concept in injecting ethical and environmental considerations in traditional supply chains which aims in satisfying the needs of environmental policies and ultimately customers. GSCM barriers are identified through extensive literature review and expert opinion from industry professionals. The barriers stated attempt the adoption of GSC practices in foundry sector which draws immediate attention. The nature of the identified barriers is complex and interdependent which demands the application of a structural model like Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) technique. Driver and dependence power analysis (DDPA) is used to identify and classify the critical barriers, which have to be gradually elicited on priority basis for creating a greener platform in foundries.

Over the past few decades, manufacturing has evolved from a more labor-intensive set of mechanical processes to a sophisticated set of information based technology processes. With the existence of various advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs), more and more functions or jobs are performed by these machines instead of human labour. This study was undertaken in order to research the extent of AMTs adoption in manufacturing companies in Kenya. In order to investigate a survey was conducted via questionnaires that were sent to 183 selected AMT manufacturing companies in Kenya. 92 companies responded positively. All the surveyed companies were found to have a measure of investment in at least two of the 14 types of AMTs investigated. In general the company surveyed showed that the level of AMT adoption in Kenya is very low with investments levels at a mean of 2.057 and integration levels at a mean of 1.639 in a scale of 1-5.

This paper reviews the practice in reverse logistics through published literature. The objective of this study is to encourage and provide researchers with future research directions in reverse logistics. Since supply chains are designed for forward flow, integrating product recovery into the network design poses a major challenge. An important assignment of top management is to analyse the obstacles of reverse logistics which could be vital to the survival of the industry in the future.

This research addresses the inefficiency and inconsistency associated with asset tracking and inventory management. This paper focuses on the algorithm and framework of an automated system for large quantities of inventory control, with the features of geographically-widely located facility and heterogeneous assets. Further, the authors investigate two major asset-tracking practices: manual or barcode inventory management system versus automated inventory management system. The authors empirically validate both systems with modeling, simulation, and observation of the system performances. The evidence provides statistically strong support for the improvement of efficiency and accuracy of automated inventory management system, although the impacts of environmental circumstances and human factors suggest that precautions should be taken to minimize the influences of such factors. The proposed automated system is ideal for large quantities of inventory control. Small scale of inventory control depends more on manual inspection or barcode technology. This research provides a possible solution to the growing concerns over asset tracking and protection. In addition, it has the potential to change the facilities management process and policy of the organizations with widely located properties. This empirical study verified the practicability of implementing an automated inventory management system and validated the design by comparing the performances of the manual system and the automated system.

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Bending machine is a common machine that is used to bend a metal. It is most frequently used in various industrial processes such as bending a sheet to make cylinders or to make various shape such as " V shape ". There are many kind of bending machine that can be found in the market such as press brake bending machine. Roll bending machine, and folding bending machine. In this paper design a bending machine specially for the bending a sheet metal is given. There is no proper small scale bending machine for bending a sheet metal having thickness up to 2mm is manufactured. In this paper all the necessary criterion of small scale bending machine to be considered such as roller bending type to be used, the design of the bending machine, the method of assembly the machine parts and the consideration of material need to be bend. A idea to design a bending machine is followed in the paper by considering design parameters.

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Green Manufacturing Case Studies in Lean and Sustainability

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No manufacturer can afford to ignore the pressing environmental issues of today. To do so puts both their profit line and their legacy at risk. As part of the Enterprise Excellence Series , this book brings together articles and case studies covering environmental, and energy issues that were previously published in the Association of Manufacturing Excellence’s Target Magazine . It covers both areas of moral responsibility, as well as legal and economic considerations. Chapters are organized in three areas: Protecting the Environment, Using Energy Wisely, and EPA Case Studies, making it easy to track down the information desire.

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Sustainable manufacturing and zero carbon ambition.

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Vishwanadham Mandala is Data Engineering Leader at Cummins Inc .

The ongoing climate crisis prompts carbon-intensive sectors to abolish their footprint. The UK plans to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, starting to reach Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050. Industries must follow suit and join the zero-carbon journey. New-age scientific engineering practices are needed to achieve net-zero carbon for manufacturing. This article analyzes plant data from the Cement, Food and drink, and pharmaceutical sectors, aiming to transition from maintenance to proactive, reliable, preventive-drivnear-zero-downtime operations with machine learning algorithms.

Sustainability in manufacturing is not just a moral imperative, but also a strategic business decision. By adopting environmentally friendly practices, minimizing negative impacts, conserving energy and resources, and reducing waste, companies can gain a competitive edge. It's important to recognize that stakeholders and sponsors are not just supporters, but integral to the success of sustainable businesses. Early adoption of sustainable manufacturing is a hot topic in industrial research, and it's a testament to the potential economic benefits. In addition to environmental preservation, sustainable manufacturing practices can lead to reduced operational costs and increased market competitiveness, making it a win-win situation for both the business and the environment.

Machine Learning And Sustainable Practices In Manufacturing

The aspiration to achieve zero or negative carbon emissions presents an opportunity for engineering excellence. Machine learning technologies, with their transformative potential, are not just crucial, but they hold the key to a future where sustainability goals are not just met but exceeded. As global supply chains evolve, impactful design and decision-making become paramount. Machine learning, with its ability to optimize manufacturing processes and transform sustainable practices, is a game-changer. Examples of its potential include automated product recognition and reinforcement learning. Strategic development of machine learning for zero-carbon manufacturing is necessary. Machine learning and zero carbon ambitions can fundamentally transform engineering. They are not just critical enablers, but they are the catalysts that can propel us to meet technical zero at an affordable cost.

Case Studies And Success Stories

A data dematerialization and rationalization strategy is crucial for algorithm efficiency, environmental sustainability, and achieving long-term AI solutions. By harnessing the power of AI, we can effectively address pressing global issues related to the environment. One significant aspect of this is the reduction of CO2 emissions in manufacturing processes, where real AI solutions are already making a tangible difference. However, the potential for implementing AI in various sectors and countries is vast and holds promising future opportunities.

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To overcome barriers to adoption, a combination of technological, market and organizational measures is imperative. By integrating AI into their corporate strategies , organizations can contribute to environmental objectives and unlock various societal benefits.

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First, some organizational drivers are pronounced and ready-made for adopting machine learning to enhance sustainability performance. Foremost, social responsibility has become a huge factor that influences not only a corporation's relationship with its customers but also its employee hiring efforts and shareholder profits. As machine learning solutions become more and more pervasive, these types of positive social benefits are likely to figure into communities' perceptions about a company just as a person's behavior. It behooves manufacturers to invest in this and use machine learning to make progressively better environmental, community and workforce decisions. It is not just social responsibility and customer pressure that will encourage corporations to act more responsibly. Government regulations also spell out sustainability guidelines for manufacturers that could be even more prescriptive than what individuals might buy or reward through their employer choices.

Although machine learning offers enormous potential to provide solutions to hurdles blocking the way of manufacturing firms concerning enhancing sustainability through operational decisions, it is essential to recognize that there are issues related to implementing these solutions. However, we must reassure ourselves that these challenges are not insurmountable. We must carefully consider challenges that can affect specific operational settings. For instance, in smaller manufacturing settings, the lack of data and privacy concerns can hinder the adoption of machine learning models. In these cases, it may be necessary to explore alternative data sources or anonymization techniques to address privacy concerns.

Concerning sustainability, it is critical to investigate specific drivers that encourage appropriate curation and use of machine learning models and mitigate potential challenges that slow the adoption of machine learning models in sustainability. One potential solution is to develop standardized frameworks for data collection and model deployment. We also identify data collection and privacy challenges that are particularly pronounced in smaller manufacturing settings. However, with the right strategies and approaches, these challenges can be overcome, and machine learning can continue to revolutionize sustainable manufacturing.

With its ability to use data and promote collaboration and transparency, machine learning is a powerful tool that can boost sustainable manufacturing practices. This study aims to bridge gaps in the literature and contribute to achieving zero carbon goals and a circular economy. Implementing market-based and affordable solutions is crucial for transitioning to sustainable energy sources. Manufacturing companies hold valuable environmental data that can be maximized with machine learning algorithms. Corporate systems and supply chains complicate data utilization, but machine learning can overcome these barriers for widespread sustainable manufacturing. Integrating machine learning methodologies enables manufacturers to optimize operations, reduce energy consumption, minimize waste and adopt eco-friendly practices. It also enhances maintenance processes, promotes data-driven decisions and ensures transparency in the supply chain.

Machine learning is a powerful tool that can push boundaries, overcome challenges and contribute to a more sustainable manufacturing industry.

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Financing Pioneering Green Industry Projects: A Case Study

By Yuchen Tang, Sustainable Materials, BloombergNEF

Securing financing for a first-of-a-kind green industry project can be difficult due to the long investment cycle, capital intensity and technology risk. But H2 Green Steel (H2GS), a Swedish startup with no prior operations, has successfully raised €6.5 billion in project finance for its hydrogen-based steelmaking project in Boden, Sweden. Lessons from H2GS’s experience could guide future green industry projects, though some may not be fully replicable elsewhere.

• Proven customer demand: Securing long-term offtake contracts with customers willing to pay a green premium is the key for raising project finance. This is easier when clients, such as the automotive sector, have Scope 3 emission targets and are familiar with long-term contracts.
• De-risked financial structure: Securing senior debt and credit guarantees from government agencies is a crucial factor to bringing commercial lenders on board. For de-risking equity raising, institutional investors may be more comfortable if the company’s customers and suppliers have already invested. Reserving a financial contingency fund may also help to make lenders more comfortable. These financing practices could apply to almost all projects.
• Optimal location and project execution: To deliver ideal returns, developers should pick a site optimized for the project’s production cost and resource access. The specific resource to optimize for might vary depending on projects – for hydrogen-based steel projects that would be access to cheap clean power, followed by grid and transportation infrastructure. This, coupled with a strong execution capability to push ahead project development and assemble technical expertise, could present a strong economic case with minimized risks for commercial investors.
• Experienced leadership: A company or project’s success can always be traced back to its people. Having an experienced leadership team that can bring in customer connections and execute the optimal financing and project development plan is what ultimately convinces investors to come on board.

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How Next-Gen Product Roadmap Technology is Reshaping Agribusiness

Beyond legacy systems.

The daily business of farming has changed quite a bit in recent generations. Today’s agribusiness leaders are increasingly open to the role of technology in optimizing their processes and ensuring the best, most market-ready products.

But here’s the thing: Farmers no longer want to rely on the antiquated tools and technologies of yesteryear. Legacy and generic systems, from spreadsheets to unwieldy email chains , are out . Advanced product roadmaps are in!

More and more farms are hiring product managers, who use best-in-class software solutions to ensure their agricultural offerings remain attractive, competitive, and valuable within the marketplace.

A company called Gocious has led the way here, creating product roadmapping technology that has unique utility in agribusiness. Simply put, product roadmap management solutions, like the ones offered by Gocious, help farming product managers to stay on-target with their production schedules, marketing messaging, and more.

Case Study: How Product Roadmap Management Software Aids Agribusiness

Here’s a case in point : An agriculture business called AGCO enlisted the help of Gocious, relying on their product roadmap management tools to help streamline their operations and ensure business efficiency.

Founded in 1990, AGCO is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia. It’s a multi-billion-dollar company, providing heavy equipment and precision agricultural solutions to farmers and ranchers across the world .

Engaging Gocious

AGCO engaged Gocious to help their product management teams think more systematically, and to ensure a higher standard of efficiency with the company’s complex, multi-component products and long, multi-year processes.

The product roadmap management solutions provided by Gocious provided a single source of truth for AGCO’s personnel, meaning they were all drawing from complete, real-time information and that they were all aligned to the same deadlines and product iterations.

The Results

Simply put, Gocious’ technology enabled AGCO to manage a large product portfolio more effectively transversely many sprawling marketplaces, providing transparency and alignment across the entire company.

“Gocious has transcended the role of a mere product management tool for AGCO,” summarizes Rodrigo Soeiro de Souza, a top executive at AGCO. “They are a critical partner in our journey to success.”

The team at Gocious is similarly effusive. “We were invested in AGCO’s mission and wanted to provide a unique solution that equipped product teams with all the capabilities needed to make a difference,” says CTO Maziar Adl. “By understanding their challenges and relaying feedback in real-time, we pledged to help problem-solve solutions for AGCO’s portfolio management needs throughout the entire onboarding process.”

The Benefits of Product Roadmap Management in Agriculture

To better understand the benefits of working with a company like Gocious, consider some of the specific results that AGCO has been able to achieve, all through the adoption of best-in-class product roadmap technology.

Single Source of Truth

Through their use of product roadmap management technology, AGCO now has a single source of truth for all product and development data, accessible throughout their global organization. This has enhanced product, engineering, finance, and other teams, allowing them to feel like they are more closely aligned with big-picture business goals.

Turnkey Systems

Product roadmapping has also provided AGCO with a turnkey system, offering them real-time status updates, providing stakeholders with insight into product life cycles, and furnishing teams with actionable insights that allow them to explore new ideas and to expand their presence in the marketplace .

Data Visualization

Another benefit of product roadmapping : AGCO now has automated visuals, including five-year and ten-year product visuals that are available with the click of a button. What this means is that AGCO teams can now show inter-dependencies on shared components, and more clearly envision their goals.

Ease of Collaboration

Finally, teams across AGCO find collaboration significantly easier. This is particularly true of those teams that are impacted by product changes, such as the sales, customer success, and engineering departments. These teams benefit greatly from Gocious’ snapshot view, abbreviating update times from weeks to mere seconds.

Beyond Legacy Systems

The bottom line: Product roadmap management tools have allowed today’s agricultural vendors to work more seamlessly and effectively than ever before. And they far exceed what’s possible with legacy systems.

“Our teams communicate more effectively, report to management more clearly, and engage ideas more thoughtfully,” comments de Souza. “Gocious has helped modernize our approach and is infinitely better than PowerPoint and other legacy systems we’ve relied on in the past.”

Simply put, for product managers in the field of agriculture , product roadmap management is the way forward, ensuring smarter teams, happier customers, and more effective products.

Gocious is a leading provider of product roadmap management software for the manufacturing industry , offering innovative technology solutions for manufacturing companies across all verticals. The company headquarters are based in California.

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Automation of three-dimensional inspection using the iterative closest point algorithm: application to a gas turbine blade

• Original Article
• Published: 22 June 2024

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• Benattia Bloul 1 , 2 ,
• Benaoumeur Aour 3 &
• Riad Harhout 1  

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This paper examines an innovative approach to the automated inspection of turbine blades in power generation systems. By integrating point cloud generated from computer-aided design (CAD) with iterative methods, this methodology aims to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the inspection process. The combination of theoretical blade geometry data, captured via CAD point clouds, with advanced algorithms derived from iterative methods, allows for a rapid assessment of the blade’s condition. This approach has the potential to reduce inspection times, increase assessment accuracy, and detect anomalies at an early stage. The paper explores in detail the key aspects of this method, including the creation and alignment of CAD point cloud with real blades, the application of iterative methods to detect degradation and anomalies, and the  preliminary results obtained from specific case studies. However, challenges remain, such as the quality of input data and the need to develop iterative models specific to each application. Future prospects include the refinement of data capture techniques, the exploration of new iterative methods, and the integration of machine learning for even more advanced automation. Overall, this approach represents a significant advance in the field of industrial maintenance, enabling proactive and efficient management of turbine blade inspection and maintenance. It offers advantages in terms of cost, speed, and reliability for maintaining the sustainability and performance of power generation systems.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express gratitude to the Metrology Laboratory at the National Polytechnic School - Oran (Algeria) for their support and valuable contribution to this research. Their efforts and expertise were instrumental in the completion of this work.

This research received financial support from the Laboratory for Reliability of Oilfield Equipment and Materials, which provided the necessary resources to conduct this study.

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Bloul, B., Aour, B. & Harhout, R. Automation of three-dimensional inspection using the iterative closest point algorithm: application to a gas turbine blade. Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-024-13866-4

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Received : 06 January 2024

Accepted : 24 May 2024

Published : 22 June 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-024-13866-4

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