Smart and 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.

Blue 4

Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing

Blue 4

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.

ESG goals

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?   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.

“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 and social impact. This smart and sustainable approach to manufacturing aims to achieve maximum efficiency and productivity while optimizing the use of resources, reducing wastes, monitoring and reducing the carbon footprint and addressing the talent shortage in industry.”

Julien CREBASSA

BLUMORPHO Innovation Development Manager

Julien Crebassa copie

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 (discover our open discussion with the entrepreneur Jacques Weyn about the digitalisation of the manufacturing industry), 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.