Yes. Automation is able to reduce energy costs by 10 – 30%, according to the International Energy Agency. Automation shines when used to reduce a factory’s energy consumption, and this has a positive impact on more than just the energy bill. In this article, we unpack how much energy global industry uses, how automation is able to reduce energy consumption, and energy-saving drives that are already improving the South African industrial sector.
The energy demands of industry
Global industry consumes a staggering 40% of global energy supply. It makes sense, given that everything we use in our lives, from clothing to fast cars and everything in between, take huge amounts of energy to produce. As the energy needs of society increases, more and more people are looking to industry to curb their high power consumption with energy-saving technologies and processes.
4 ways automation reduces power consumption
- Optimised energy consumption
Automation solutions can regulate and optimise the energy consumption of drives, pumps, and other pieces of process equipment. - Optimised energy output
Likewise, automation can optimise the energy output of equipment, ensuring that no energy is going to waste unnecessarily. - Reduced equipment downtime
By monitoring maintenance markers in real time, automation allows for early fault detection and therefore less stopping and starting of equipment. - Improved productivity
By minimising or fully removing the need for human input, fewer mistakes are likely to be made, resulting in less wastage and less energy consumed.
Energy saving drives improving the industrial sector
Inovance is an automation brand pioneering automation solutions that are as energy-efficient as they are effective. Inovance brings energy-efficient low voltage multidrive products to the automation table. They prefer to use modular designs, making multidrive products that are high performance, high security and high protection rating – while also reducing the manufacturing plant’s energy consumption.
Reduce your energy costs with Motion Tronic
Installing variable frequency drives not only reduces energy costs, but can significantly contribute to improving process control and reliability, increasing production capacity, reduce maintenance costs and lower reactive power. All of these are absolute game-changers for any industrial operation, and sets them up for success as we move further into the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Motion Tronic leads the way as an industrial automation solutions provider in South Africa. We have the pleasure of being sole agents for Baumuller, Microsonic, Servo Mold and Inovance automation products. Contact us to discuss how we can improve your industrial processes with energy-saving automation components from the best brands in automation.
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