Energy

Necessity is forcing companies to re-examine both their energy needs and resources. In this section IW delves into energy solutions that are already underway.

Portrait of a Sustainable Supply Chain
Best-in-class manufacturers are enjoying a significant reduction in energy consumption

Full visibility throughout the supply chain has been a standard goal for manufacturers for years, as it offers considerable advantages in areas ranging from inventory management to customer service. You can now add another advantage to the list: sustainability.

"Best-in-class companies are providing their employees with visibility into the key aspects of energy, environment, safety, and compliance and are using that information to optimize operations to achieve sustainability goals," observe Mehul Shah and Matthew Littlefield, analysts with Aberdeen Group. According to a recent study conducted by Aberdeen, the top three areas where manufacturers are enabling visibility into their production operations are energy usage (86% of respondents), energy costs (83%) and employee safety (72%).

There are four main pressures driving manufacturers toward sustainable production, based on the survey results:

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Energy Articles & News

GE Appoints Tech Center Leader

Current CIO for corporate information services takes helm of advanced manufacturing center

11/19/2009

Benchmarking Tool Aims to Help Semiconductor Facilities Improve Energy Efficiency

'FABS21' users can filter peer facilities' data set based on climate zone, facility type and cleanliness level.

11/19/2009

Labor Department Provides $55 Million in Green Jobs Grants

Funds target training initiatives for minorities and other underserved groups

11/18/2009

Honeywell Receives Smart Grid Grant

Company will provide automation technology for peak-pricing project in California

11/17/2009

GE, China Shenhua in Clean Coal Deal

Deal's purpose is to improve 'cost and performance of commercial scale gasification and integrated gasification combined cycle solution'

11/17/2009

Global Demand for Bioplastics to Reach 900,000 Metric Tons by 2013

In the next few years, Braskem and Dow Chemical each plan to open plants in Brazil that will produce polyethylene from sugar cane-based ethanol, while Solvay is expected to open a bio-based polyvinyl chloride facility.

11/13/2009

PPG Receives Wind-Development Grant

Company partners with MAG to explore wind-blade materials

11/13/2009

World's Top Solar Cell Maker Posts Gloomy Results

Sales in the first nine months of 2009 dropped by over 40%

11/12/2009

World's Top Solar Cell Maker Posts Gloomy Results

Sales in the first nine months of 2009 dropped by over 40%

China Solar Power Purchases ThinSilicon

ThinSilicon has developed a unique device and process technology that significantly boosts both panel efficiency and manufacturing throughput.

11/11/2009