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Caetus Systems for Manufacturers
Revolutionise Manufacturing with Caetus’ Factory 4.0 and Energy Management System
In a world driven by Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing, data-driven decision-making is essential for competitiveness. Caetus’ Factory 4.0 System empowers manufacturers with full control and visibility of their production processes. From tracking energy usage, carbon emissions, and machine performance to controlling power, temperature, gas, and water consumption, our system delivers the real-time insights manufacturers need to optimise efficiency, reduce waste, and increase sustainability.
The system’s ability to track and manage data at a granular level provides unprecedented control. With features like predictive maintenance, automated power control, and carbon tracking, manufacturers in industries like steel production, food processing, and moulding can reduce costs, improve sustainability, and ensure compliance with ISO 50001, ISO 14064, and GMP regulations.
Key Features of Caetus' Factory 4.0 System for Manufacturing
- Energy Monitoring: Track power usage at the machine level to reduce energy waste.
- Carbon Tracking: Measure Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions for GHG compliance and ISO 14064.
- Power Control: Remotely control MCBs to shut down machines, manage idle time, and enable emergency shutdowns.
- Predictive Maintenance: Detect early signs of equipment failure to reduce downtime.
- Custom Dashboards: View energy, gas, water, and operational data in one place for smarter decision-making.
- Granular Data Analytics: Collect high-frequency data for trend analysis, machine learning, and design of experiments (DoE).
How Caetus Supports Specific Manufacturing Industries
Steel Manufacturing:
Industry Overview & Challenges:
The steel component manufacturing industry plays a pivotal role in supporting essential sectors such as construction, automotive, and heavy machinery production. These sectors collectively contribute to approximately 6% of the UK’s GDP and support over 330,000 jobs nationwide, underscoring their importance to the national economy.
Despite its significance, the steel manufacturing sector faces a range of pressing challenges. Chief among them is high energy consumption, which accounts for nearly 20-40% of operational costs. In addition, the industry must comply with increasingly stringent carbon footprint reduction mandates, which are crucial for achieving net-zero goals set by the UK government. Compliance with sustainability standards such as ISO 50001 and the GHG Protocol has become a business imperative.
Another growing concern is embodied carbon—the total greenhouse gas emissions linked to the production and lifecycle of materials. Embodied carbon contributes significantly to a company’s overall environmental impact, and it’s becoming a key focus in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting. By addressing embodied carbon, steel manufacturers can not only align with environmental regulations but also enhance their competitive edge in an increasingly climate-conscious market.
Energy-intensive production processes, such as welding, rolling, and forming, consume large amounts of electricity and gas. With rising energy costs and a growing emphasis on environmental sustainability, steel manufacturers are under increasing pressure to reduce operational costs while meeting carbon reduction targets. Moreover, many manufacturers face challenges in accessing real-time energy consumption data and identifying areas of inefficiency, leading to suboptimal energy strategies.
How We Can Help:
Caetus provides a comprehensive IoT-enabled Energy Management System (EMS) designed to address the unique challenges of the steel component manufacturing sector. Our solution includes energy metering devices, smart gateways, and an intuitive EMS platform that delivers real-time visibility and actionable insights. By implementing Caetus’s EMS, manufacturers can achieve greater control over energy consumption, improve process efficiency, and reduce carbon emissions. Caetus EMS supports ISO-compliant reporting, streamlining the certification and auditing process for standards such as ISO 50001 and ISO 14064.
With Caetus’s system, manufacturers can achieve:
- Automated energy data collection: Eliminate manual readings, reducing errors and providing accurate, real-time data.
- MCB Power Control: Switch off idle to avoid energy waste. Shut of machines during overcurrent events to prevent damage and fires.
- Granular visibility: Pinpoint energy use at the machine, line, or process level, all the time, anytime.
- Predictive maintenance: Monitor equipment conditions to prevent downtime and reduce maintenance costs.
- Compliance support: Track Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for ISO 50001, ISO 14064 EPD, ISO 15804 certification.
- Custom Dashboards: View energy, gas, and production KPIs in a single dashboard, enabling effective insights for efficient change.
Our system can be hosted on a local server or on the cloud, ensuring maximum flexibility to meet your IT and data privacy requirements.
Example 1: Identifying Inefficient Welding Currents
Problem: Welding lines are integral to manufacturing processes, but they often operate with varying energy demands. Without monitoring, operators may not detect inefficient welding currents, which can result in higher electricity costs and reduced equipment lifespan.
Solution: Caetus’s IoT-enabled EMS monitors the energy usage of individual welding units. The system identified that several welding machines were consuming 10-15% more current than specified. Alerts were raised and welding currents were reduced to standard settings. With the help of Caetus data capturing, the manufacturer calculated that investing in new, energy-efficient welders would yield a return on investment (ROI) within 12 months, along with increase in welding quality.
Example 2: Correcting Poor Power Factor
Problem: Power factor is a measure of how effectively electrical power is being used. A low power factor results in higher electricity charges due to inefficient use of power, increased demand charges, and strain on electrical infrastructure. Many manufacturers are unaware of power factor issues.
Solution: Caetus’s power factor correction monitoring identified that the manufacturer’s facility had an average power factor of 0.78, which fell short of the recommended 0.95 or higher. By monitoring real-time power factor data, the system pinpointed the specific machines and processes causing the issue. Caetus recommended the installation of automatic power factor correction (APFC) units. The system tracked the impact of this intervention, and within 6 months, the facility achieved a power factor of 0.96, leading to an 14% reduction in monthly electricity costs. Additionally, Caetus’s reporting tools supported the company’s compliance with ISO 50001 and provided documentation for energy audits.
Benefits for Steel Component Manufacturers:
- Reduce Downtime: Avoid unexpected failures of CNC machines, robotic welders, plasma cutters, and more! with predictive maintenance requirements identified from in depth data analysis.
- Energy Cost Savings: Identify and quantify energy cost savings when replacing legacy equipment, optimising processes, changing shift patterns. Ensure machines are not on idle with automatic MCB control.
- Carbon Footprint Tracking: Track Scope 1 and 2 emissions for each production batch, supporting ISO 14064, ISO 50001, and GHG Protocol compliance.
- Power Control: Remotely shut down equipment during breaks and after shifts, reducing standby energy usage. Set automtic shut off and on times. Shut down equipment when dangerous readings are identified.
- Production Process Optimisation: Use high-frequency data analytics to optimise CNC machining speeds, welding cycles, and production schedules.
- Audit-Ready Compliance: Automatically log energy, gas, and water data to comply with regulatory standards like ISO 50001.
- Custom Dashboards: View energy, gas, and machine performance KPIs in one easy-to-use dashboard.
Cement Manufacturing:
Industry Overview and Challenges
Concrete and cement manufacturing are foundational to the construction industry, enabling the creation of buildings, infrastructure, and essential facilities worldwide. The UK cement industry alone produces over 10 million tonnes annually, making it one of the largest contributors to the national economy. However, the sector also faces significant challenges tied to energy use and environmental impact.
Cement production is among the most energy-intensive processes globally, with approximately 40% of costs linked to energy consumption. The kilns used in clinker production require extreme heat, often generated from fossil fuels, leading to high carbon emissions. In fact, the cement industry is responsible for about 7% of global CO2 emissions, prompting intense scrutiny and regulatory pressure to adopt low-carbon technologies and improve sustainability.
Another challenge is the industry’s reliance on raw material extraction, which impacts natural resources and contributes to embodied carbon. Increasingly, manufacturers are expected to comply with stringent environmental certifications such as ISO 50001 for energy management and ISO 14064 for greenhouse gas accounting.
Moreover, manufacturers often struggle with operational inefficiencies due to the lack of real-time data monitoring. This can lead to excessive energy use, unplanned downtime, and missed opportunities for optimisation. To remain competitive and sustainable, cement producers must implement innovative energy management solutions that provide actionable insights and reduce their carbon footprint.
How Caetus Can Help
Caetus offers a comprehensive IoT-enabled Energy Management System (EMS) tailored to the concrete and cement industry’s unique demands. Our solution includes advanced energy meters, smart gateways, and an intuitive EMS platform that provides real-time visibility into energy consumption. By using our system, manufacturers can reduce costs, enhance process efficiency, and meet sustainability goals.
What Manufacturers Can Achieve
- Real-time energy insights: Gain a clear understanding of energy use across processes, from kilns to grinding mills.
- Predictive maintenance: Avoid costly downtimes by monitoring critical equipment for signs of wear or inefficiency.
- Lower carbon footprint: Track and optimise emissions data to comply with ISO 14064 and meet regulatory requirements.
- Peak load management: Identify and mitigate energy demand peaks to avoid penalty charges.
- Embodied carbon tracking: Measure and manage emissions across the lifecycle of concrete production.
- Streamlined compliance: Generate automated reports to support certifications like ISO 50001.
- Optimised raw material use: Monitor inputs to reduce waste and improve production efficiency.
- Scalable solutions: Our EMS integrates seamlessly with facilities of all sizes, supporting future growth.
Example 1: Reducing Kiln Energy Consumption
Problem: Kilns are the largest energy consumers in cement production, with inefficiencies leading to unnecessary energy use and higher costs. Without detailed monitoring, operators struggled to identify specific inefficiencies in the combustion process.
Solution: Caetus’s EMS installed advanced energy meters and temperature sensors to monitor real-time energy use and heat distribution. The system identified areas where excess energy was being wasted, enabling operators to optimise fuel-to-air ratios and reduce consumption. Enabling up to a 15% reduction in energy costs per kiln and compliance with ISO 50001 standards.
Example 2: Improving Grinding Mill Efficiency
Problem: Grinding mills in cement plants consume significant amounts of electricity. Operators found it challenging to maintain consistent efficiency, resulting in frequent energy spikes and wear on machinery.
Solution: Using Caetus’s real-time monitoring platform, manufacturers tracked energy consumption patterns and identified periods of inefficiency. By adjusting mill operations based on insights from the EMS, manufacturers can reduce energy usage by 10-12%, extended equipment lifespan, and avoided peak demand charges. Automated reports also simplified compliance with energy audits and sustainability certifications.
Benefits for Concrete Manufacturers
- Lower operational costs: Reduce energy consumption across critical processes by up to 15%.
- Enhanced sustainability: Comply with environmental regulations like ISO 14064 and ISO 50001.
- Optimised process efficiency: Gain actionable insights into every stage of production.
- Extended equipment lifespan: Implement predictive maintenance to reduce wear and tear.
- Reduced embodied carbon: Track and manage carbon emissions from raw material sourcing to final production.
- Streamlined reporting: Automate compliance reporting for audits and certifications.
- Peak energy savings: Manage demand peaks to minimise electricity costs.
- Improved resource management: Monitor raw material usage to maximise efficiency and reduce waste.
To learn more about how Caetus EMS can revolutionise the concrete and cement industry, Find out more.
Packaging Manufacturers:
Industry Overview and Challenges
The packaging industry is a cornerstone of the global supply chain, serving sectors like food and beverage, retail, and manufacturing. In the UK, packaging production accounts for 85% of the materials used in the food industry, with a significant focus on cardboard, paper, plastics, and expanded polystyrene (EPS). The demand for sustainable and recyclable materials continues to grow, driven by both regulatory mandates and consumer preferences.
The sector faces several challenges. First, high energy consumption is a persistent issue, with processes like extrusion, moulding, and printing consuming large amounts of electricity and heat. Energy costs can represent up to 30% of operational expenses, especially for manufacturers relying on heat-intensive processes such as EPS shaping.
Second, the shift towards sustainability poses new pressures. Packaging manufacturers are required to comply with environmental standards like ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, as well as reduce their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions to meet national and global climate targets. Achieving these goals often requires a combination of technological upgrades and process optimisation.
Lastly, operational inefficiencies stemming from unmonitored energy use and outdated machinery exacerbate costs and environmental impact. Without real-time insights, it’s challenging for manufacturers to pinpoint inefficiencies or predict equipment failures, leading to unplanned downtime and reduced productivity.
How Caetus Can Help
Caetus delivers a robust IoT-enabled Energy Management System (EMS) designed to address the packaging industry’s specific challenges. From monitoring extrusion processes to managing the energy demands of printing and moulding machines, our solution provides real-time visibility and actionable insights to reduce energy costs and improve sustainability.
What Manufacturers Can Achieve
- Comprehensive energy monitoring: Track electricity and gas consumption across all stages of packaging production.
- Predictive equipment maintenance: Avoid costly downtime by identifying early signs of wear or inefficiency.
- Optimised process efficiency: Use data-driven insights to reduce waste and energy usage.
- Sustainability compliance: Automate the tracking of emissions data to meet ISO 14001, ISO 50001, and other certifications.
- Peak demand management: Minimise electricity costs by flattening energy consumption peaks.
- Improved recycling processes: Monitor energy usage during recycling and repurposing operations to optimise efficiency.
- Seamless integration: Integrate our EMS into existing production lines and IT systems.
- Scalability: Adapt our solution to facilities of any size, from small-scale operations to large industrial plants.
Example 1: Reducing Extrusion Energy Costs
Problem: Extrusion processes used in plastic and EPS packaging production are highly energy-intensive. Without monitoring, excess energy use often goes unnoticed, inflating costs and contributing to higher emissions.
Solution: Caetus’s EMS installed energy meters and smart sensors along extrusion lines to monitor heat and electricity usage in real time. The system flagged inefficiencies in certain phases, prompting process adjustments that reduced energy consumption by 12%. Automated reports also supported compliance with ISO 50001, streamlining the certification process.
Example 2: Enhancing Printing Line Efficiency
Problem: Printing operations for cardboard and paper packaging often face fluctuating energy demands. These surges increase electricity costs and strain equipment, leading to frequent maintenance.
Solution: Using Caetus’s dynamic load management system, manufacturers identified inefficient startup sequences and energy spikes during operation. By optimising equipment usage schedules and reducing load peaks, energy costs decreased by 10%, while machinery lifespan improved. The system’s reporting features simplified energy audits and aligned operations with ISO 14001 standards.
Benefits for Packaging Manufacturers
- Energy cost reductions: Save up to 15% on electricity and gas expenses through process optimisation.
- Enhanced sustainability: Comply with certifications like ISO 14001 and ISO 50001.
- Increased equipment reliability: Leverage predictive maintenance to minimise breakdowns.
- Improved operational transparency: Access detailed data on energy usage and process efficiency.
- Reduced emissions: Lower Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions through real-time tracking.
- Customisable dashboards: Gain a tailored view of energy performance metrics for informed decision-making.
- Streamlined reporting: Automate compliance documentation to reduce administrative overhead.
To discover how Caetus EMS can empower the packaging industry to achieve energy efficiency and sustainability, Find out more.