How automation increases sustainability and efficiency in industry

• Industry, as a major energy consumer and emitter of polluting gases, needs to increase its sustainability and efficiency in the interest of meeting state and European targets in this area.

• Automation is the only way to achieve such goals without affecting production, which is essential in an increasingly globalized and competitive market.

• Singular Logistics has developed a disruptive air freight system that has emerged as the perfect solution for companies looking to automate their operations.

Consuming 53% of the total electricity generated, increasing its electricity consumption by 260% in the last 30 years, and being the second most polluting sector with 20.7% of total emissions, increasing its sustainability is one of its main objectives in the short, medium and long term.

However, if this is a very complicated goal to achieve for any sector, it is even more so for one that is facing an increasingly complex economic context.

Therefore, we can safely say that the industrial sector is going through one of the most critical moments in its history. In a context in which society as a whole has become aware of the urgent need to reduce its emissions and energy consumption, industrial companies are facing the same challenge while seeking new ways to improve their competitiveness in order to survive in a completely globalized market.

Automation to increase industry’s sustainability and efficiency

On paper, the challenge seems impossible: to achieve more with less. In other words, industry needs to maintain, and even improve, its productivity without increasing its energy consumption and polluting emissions.

Fortunately, we are currently immersed in a Fourth Industrial Revolution which, with Factory 4.0 and automation as spearheads, is constantly offering solutions that make it possible to optimize production processes to the point of achieving maximum energy and operational efficiency.

All this, while allowing companies to assign their workers to less repetitive and dangerous processes, in which they can provide greater added value. The result is an increase in productivity of between 40 and 70 %, and a 30 % reduction in emissions.

When it comes to analyzing how automation is capable of achieving faster, more flexible and economical production, the formula is very simple. It increases sustainability and efficiency by identifying and correcting errors and faults that reduce productivity, reducing unnecessary costs and improving profits, better optimizing process times, occupying workers in more specialized tasks and standardizing procedures.

Companies like Singular Logistics are a perfect example that allows us to understand the advantages of Factory 4.0. Their solutions have been specially designed to optimize production processes within the factory, creating innovative and completely disruptive air transport systems that not only streamline the transport of goods throughout the factory, but also make it as efficient as possible.

By transferring intelligence from the system to the trolleys that move along it, they are able to autonomously decide which of them is the most suitable for picking up and distributing materials, as well as choosing the most appropriate route to the next key point.

An innovation that not only reduces implementation costs, by eliminating programming both in its first installation and in future modifications and requiring a manufacturing infrastructure and much lower costs, but also allows a much faster return on investment. This is achieved, above all, by greatly reducing the costs associated with maintenance.

In this aspect, it reduces breakdowns by eliminating those moving parts that are the main causes of breakdowns, as well as allowing production to continue when one of the carriages breaks down; only needing to remove the damaged one from the system for repair or replacement without affecting the system.

In addition, thanks to its design, the system is not only used for transport, but also allows the implementation of the workers’ operational centers on the carts themselves, making production much smoother and faster.

In terms of energy consumption, the Singular Logistics system does not require a high-voltage line to enable its operation. On the contrary, it only requires a very low voltage line, which will reduce the company’s energy bill compared to those that opt for a traditional electrification system.

But this is not the only competitive advantage offered by automation. In addition to the reduction of costs associated with energy consumption (which is also an increase in sustainability by eliminating from the equation the emissions related to the generation of this energy), there is also a better use of the skills of its workforce, freed from repetitive tasks to be able to focus on others where they can add greater value.

More competitive advantages thanks to automation

When it comes to reducing costs, it is worth noting how the use of electrified monorail systems makes it possible to optimize the use of space in warehouses and production centers. Since the price of energy is not the only one that is currently skyrocketing, the price of land is following a similar dynamic.

By implementing an electrified monorail system, a large amount of space is freed up for other uses, which also allows:

1. Its integration without interrupting production
2. Better use of space
3. Cleaning and sanitizing the warehouse or production center without this process affecting production, which is essential for industries such as chemicals, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, etc.