SMART & SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING
BLUMORPHO is committed to tackle climate change, resource depletion, and costs in manufacturing and industrial processes. We believe that cross-sectorial and multi-player collaborations are essential to drive progress and develop new business models that prioritize sustainability for everyone involved.
We contribute to accelerating the development of new services, products, and collaborations in addressing critical challenges, such as reducing operating costs, strengthening client-supplier relationships through data, sustainable and circular products, attracting and retaining younger generations in the industry, and anticipating environmental burdens and upcoming regulations by allocating financial assets for the long term.
BLUMORPHO supports collaborations from defining players' common interests to the acceleration of new services & products.
Challenge in Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing
With the increasing concerns about climate change, resource depletion, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, governments, corporations, and consumers alike are seeking ways to reduce their environmental impact, and the manufacturing sector is no exception. The manufacturing industry is enduring crisis after crisis, and is facing a workforce shortage with younger generations losing interest for careers in the manufacturing sector.
Is the emerging regulation on ESG goals another burden or an opportunity?
The manufacturing industry must reinvent itself and perform a real transition. Digitalisation alone will not be sufficient; the adoption of advanced technologies must not only aim at the optimization of processes but also minimize their environmental impact. This smart and sustainable approach to manufacturing aims to achieve maximum efficiency and productivity while minimizing waste and pollution, promoting the efficient use of resources, and monitoring and continuously reduce the carbon footprint of operations. As a result, the smart and sustainable manufacturing is rapidly expanding, with a new wave of innovation coming from start-ups working to make manufacturing more efficient and environmentally friendly.
ESG goals
In the recent years, Europe has been leading the way in the development of regulations aimed at promoting ESG goals for manufacturing companies. The regulatory changes will apply to large companies at first. But the reporting on the carbon emission in the frame of the scope 3 will technically affect the supply chain and we can expect smaller companies to report for their customers.
This is a virtuous process, since by integrating ESG goals principles into their operations and decision-making processes, manufacturing companies can improve their overall performance and reputation while contributing to a more sustainable and equitable future.
Energy savings and energy sources are essential in this framework, but other technologies and concepts can generate a true multiplying effect.
Micro Factories
The COVID crisis has demonstrated the fragility of the supply chain and the limitations of a system in permanent tension with “just-in-time” pushed to the limit. More and more companies started to reflect on how they could change their sourcing with partners located closer delivering faster with reduced transportation cost.
Micro factories are designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing manufacturers to quickly switch between different products and production processes based on changing customer demands. This agility is made possible by the use of advanced automation and digital technologies, such as robotics, artificial intelligence, 3D printing and IoT. Micro Factories are helping to create more sustainable and resilient supply chains, while also enabling greater innovation and customization in product design.
Decentralised production
Decentralised production sounds like an oxymoron and totally counter intuitive. To be cost effective production is always centralized to leverage on volume. But when you include the CO2 footprint of the purchased goods, you will probably realize that you spend a lot in transportation for low value material, when a more effective solution could be to transform some material close to the source. This is especially true when the shipping volume or weight is reduced after this pre-processing. Decentralized production is also a way to rethink your value chain in distributing the tasks.
Human centric technologies
39% of companies in manufacturing point to labour shortage as a limiting factor in production. This trend will last since in 2025, Millenials will account for 75% of the workforce and manufacturing is not their first career choice. Personal development is no longer the priority in a career choice for Gen-Z. The younger generation is now looking for a sense of purpose and impact. ESG goals is a very positive message to convey, but this tech-native generation also expects the latest technologies in the workplace to be more productive.
