Measure, visualize, reduce and manage are the steps to energy efficiency. By linking production equipment measures to energy efficiency, manufacturers of factory optimisation and energy efficiency technologies can identify areas for improvement and explore how improvements can be made. Based on this, the manufacturing efficiency of each product and facility resulting in improved energy efficiency in each plant can be measured.

For these purposes, the e-F@ctory concept for optimising factories through visualisation and eco-Factory technologies that contribute to energy conservation through visible management of specific energy consumption, have been merged by Mitsubishi Electric to create a total factory solution.

The technology merge will result in productivity improvement through visualisation of the manufacturing floor and energy conservation through visible management of energy.

e-F@ctory

e-F@ctory promises enhanced productivity. It makes full use of leading-edge control technologies and network technologies to “visualise” production information, including quantitative and qualitative production data and equipment information, and links production equipment to higher manufacturing execution systems to allow production information to be incorporated into production plans and be used to ensure quality traceability.

eco-Factory

eco-Factory allows “visible management” of power usage through the introduction of measuring equipment and technologies that support energy conservation efforts by meticulously measuring power usage. It also promotes the effective installation of inverters and other energy-saving devices to not only eliminate wastefulness and surges in energy consumption but to reduce overall power usage.

Benefits of both

Production efficiency and energy efficiency in factories essentially both aim at achieving the same goal of total cost reduction. In no way do they conflict with each other. Mitsubishi Electric’s e&eco-F@ctory is a factory automation energy solution based on a new concept of realising both production efficiency and energy efficiency. It brings large advantages to factories from two perspectives.

Measure Energy Usage

Once you have detailed measurements for each device and piece of equipment, the way to increased productivity is clear.  The important thing to comprehensively visualise energy is to measure the amounts of energy being used in the shop floor in real-time and collate the data, but also to keep an accurate grasp of specific energy consumption, with linkage to production volumes and other manufacturing information. e&eco-F@ctory aims to improve equipment working efficiently through detailed work analysis. It measures the specific energy consumption by production equipment and devices for every task time, every product type, and every process.  It links to work monitoring of production lines, preventive maintenance of equipment and improved productivity.\

Manage Energy Usage

Solutions that make energy use visible are powerful tools for energy management programmes. Real-time monitoring of equipment’s total and specific energy consumption is critical to linking production information and energy information and making improvements.  This lets facilities managers discover problems, find where to make improvements, focus on reducing consumption and decide what improvements need to be made.