Advantech’s iFactory Assists EMS Factory in Smart Energy Management

Abstract

To achieve the goals in reducing carbon emissions, manufacturing plants worldwide have adopted smart technologies and related solutions to improve their energy management.
Region: Mexico

Introduction 

According to World Energy Outlook 2021, energy consumption by the industrial sector accounts for 40% of total global energy consumption. This remains dominated by fossil fuels, resulting in high carbon emissions of 8.7 billion tons, which is second only to the levels generated by the power sector. To reduce industrial energy consumption and achieve carbon emission reduction goals, major economies such as the EU as well as organizations including the UN have set out agreements and norms aimed at reducing emissions. For example, the European Commission announced the Fit for 55 plan in 2021, with the expectation that the EU will reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, relative to 1990 levels.

To achieve these goals in reducing carbon emissions, manufacturing plants worldwide have adopted smart technologies and related solutions to improve their energy management. For example, a well-known Taiwanese electronics manufacturing service (EMS) foundry has adopted Advantech’s iFactory Energy Sustainability Management Solution in its factory in Mexico to accelerate regulation compliance.

Implementing modular I.Apps provides flexible features

Despite most EMS factories having sufficient resources and capabilities to develop effective energy management systems, the time it takes to do so still incurs a considerable expense. Therefore, most EMS factories are constantly looking for solutions that can be implemented quickly at lower costs.

To date, the factory has integrated and implemented three I.Apps. These allow factory personnel to monitor energy consumption in line with their management system and accurately assess their energy costs while optimizing energy efficiency. Ultimately, it helps them realize a sound business intelligence strategy in energy management. First, the EMS I.App monitors energy consumption, optimizes energy usage, reduces energy waste, and minimizes costs. Second, the Energy KPI I.App, which complies with ISO 50006 for setting energy efficiency management indicators, provides an effective method for optimizing energy processes, and this can be leveraged in making critical judgments in production processes in order to understand possible causes of waste and make timely improvements. Third, the Predict I.App combines statistical models and can also expand on or add AI for performing energy demand analysis, thereby helping businesses infer energy baselines as a strategic basis for energy management.

Meeting the all-round needs of enterprises with multiple suites

In addition to the IFS-51A-EGW1, Advantech’s iFactory also has the IFS-EGM Starter Suite and IFS-51C Data Center Suite, which provide enterprises with even more options and allow factories to determine the most suitable energy management solution for themselves. This means that factories are more able to quickly respond to major international green norms initiated by different economies or organizations while also reducing their energy costs, thus helping them achieve carbon emission reduction and social responsibility goals for a more sustainable planet.

Benefits

• Enables factory energy management without a large capital investment while also reducing energy waste costs by 8% to 13%.
• 24/7 monitoring of factory energy usage helps operators respond quickly to abnormalities.
• 7-day energy consumption forecasting helps avoid exceeding the contracted energy capacity.

Why Advantech

iFactory's IFS-51A is a complete solution that integrates software, hardware, and various systems. It can swiftly acquire information from facilities, obtain real-time data from smart meters, and help comprehensively master analytical data and smart factory energy management through visualization and dashboard management.