The UK Government has announced a total of £13.7 million in funding for 12 projects under the Made Smarter Innovation Challenge of the UKRI’s Sustainable Smart Factory Competition, which focuses on supporting improved productivity through digital innovation.
The Made Smarter Innovation Challenge’s Innovation Lead, Chris Needham, said that using digital technologies effectively:
“…can have a substantial impact on the manufacturing sector, bringing outdated, inefficient and unproductive products and processes up [to] the standards needed for a net zero industry of the future. It’s clear from the wide range of applications we received just how far waste and energy issues extend across different industries.”
The projects set to receive funding are working on innovations that will benefit industries ranging from baking to steel production. For example, one product will combine artificial intelligence with run down baking machinery to help cut energy use by 60% and improve the consistency of the end products. Another project will apply machine learning to steel production to predict potential inefficiencies before they occur, thus improving the sustainability of the industry.
The projects may ultimately lead to the abatement of 300,000 tonnes a year of CO2 emissions from manufacturing activities, as well as create a thousand jobs in the three years following the projects’ completion.
At TrAchem, we can help you keep up with innovations in manufacturing by ensuring that all your equipment, both new and old, will have the benefit of the most advanced lubricant products, such as Castrol Optigear, which can drastically lower friction compared to standard gear oils.
