Energy monitoring

In times of climate change and rising energy prices, the topic of sustainability in production is becoming increasingly important. Energy-intensive companies are faced with the challenge of optimizing their processes and reducing their ecological footprint at the same time.

Energy monitoring offers a helpful solution here. By precisely recording and analyzing energy consumption in real time, energy guzzlers can be identified, and potential savings leveraged in a targeted manner. Energy monitoring is more than just cost optimization, it is also a key instrument for making your own production more sustainable, conserving resources and making an active contribution to climate protection.

At the same time, energy monitoring plays an important role as a central element of holistic corporate responsibility that goes beyond the purely environmental aspect. The reporting obligation for companies is increasing both nationally and internationally. The transparent presentation of specific and relevant data, for example in sustainability reports – in accordance with the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) – is increasingly becoming the standard and is influencing the evaluation of companies by investors and customers.

By using intelligent energy monitoring in Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES systems) such as SAP Digital Manufacturing or MES FLEX from FORCAM ENISCO, companies can increase their energy and resource efficiency, reduce costs and provide support for corporate reporting obligations.

What are the goals and benefits of energy monitoring in production?

• Cost reduction: monitoring and therefore implementing improvement measures to reduce energy consumption leads to lower energy costs and increases the company’s competitiveness.
• Sustainability: Efficient use of resources is crucial for reducing the ecological footprint and achieving sustainability goals.
• Transparency: The primary goal is to obtain a detailed overview of energy consumption in production. This includes recording data on electricity, gas, water, compressed air and other energy sources used in production processes.
• Identification of potential savings: By integrating energy data into an MES, production processes can be optimized in terms of their energy consumption and bottlenecks can be avoided. This enables targeted energy-saving measures, e.g. the optimization of machine parameters, the replacement of outdated technology or the implementation of more energy-efficient technologies.
• Improved energy management: The data obtained forms the basis for strategic energy management. Companies can make well-founded decisions to optimize their energy consumption in the long term and future-proof their energy supply.

How is energy monitoring implemented?

The implementation of an energy monitoring system usually takes place in several steps: First, the specific objectives of the energy monitoring system must be determined and the requirements for the system defined. Then all relevant measuring points in the production process at which energy consumption is to be recorded must be identified, sensors and meters at the installed measuring points record the energy consumption and transmit the data to a central system, such as MES solutions from FORCAM ENISCO (E-MES, MES FLEX) or the SAP Digital Manufacturing System for resource efficiency and energy monitoring. The data collected is collated, analyzed and visualized in the form of clear graphics and reports. Based on the analysis results, specific measures to increase energy efficiency can be derived and implemented.

Which sectors or areas are suitable for this?

Energy monitoring can be used in almost all production sectors, e.g:

• Metal processing: monitoring the energy consumption of furnaces, presses, welding systems
• Plastics processing: analysis of the energy requirements of injection molding machines, extruders
• Food industry: optimization of energy use in cooling systems, baking ovens, packaging machines
• Chemical industry: monitoring the energy consumption of reactors, pumps, compressors
• Paper industry: analyzing the energy requirements of paper machines, dryers

Significant savings potential through the integration of MES systems

The networking of machines and systems as part of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) offers enormous potential for increasing energy efficiency in production. An intelligent energy monitoring system forms the foundation for data-based decisions and sustainable management. MES systems play a decisive role in the integration of energy monitoring data into the production landscape. They make it easy to link energy data with other production data.

An example from the automotive sector shows the enormous potential of digital support: with the help of an MES solution from FORCAM ENISCO, a supplier group has been able to reduce its energy consumption by more than 20% in recent years – while maintaining the same processes and increasing production volumes.

MES systems from FORCAM ENISCO and SAP Digital Manufacturing

• Simple integration: Energy monitoring systems can be seamlessly integrated into the existing IT infrastructure thanks to open interfaces.
• Automated data acquisition: The automated acquisition and transmission of energy data in real time reduces manual effort and minimizes sources of error.
• Comprehensive analysis functions: Powerful analysis tools enable the identification of potential savings and the optimization of energy consumption.
• Individual reporting: Meaningful reports and dashboards visualize the most important key figures and support energy management.

SAP Digital Manufacturing, E-MES and MES FLEX from FORCAM ENISCO at a glance:

• SAP Digital Manufacturing: As a comprehensive platform for the digital transformation of production, SAP Digital Manufacturing enables optimization potential in production planning and control to be identified, analysed and visualize.
• E-MES: The modular E-MES enables the integration of energy monitoring systems and offers functions for energy consumption analysis, benchmarking and reporting.
• MES FLEX: The flexible and scalable MES solution supports companies in the implementation of customized energy monitoring and offers interfaces to common energy management systems.

What significance does energy monitoring have for companies’ reporting obligations?

Energy monitoring is becoming increasingly important for companies in view of the increasing reporting obligations and regulations relating to sustainability and social responsibility, for example in the area of

1) CO2 reduction

Energy monitoring enables energy consumption to be recorded and analyzed, allowing potential savings to be identified and reduction measures to be verified. The documentation of energy consumption and the savings achieved are becoming a central component of sustainability reporting.

2) Social governance and sustainability reports

Investors and other stakeholders are increasingly demanding transparency with regard to environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. Energy monitoring provides measurable data and helps companies to demonstrate their sustainability performance. The integration of energy data in sustainability reports strengthens credibility and enables comparison with other companies.

3) Supply Chain Act

The Supply Chain Duty of Care Act (LkSG) obliges companies to respect human rights and environmental standards in their supply chains. Energy monitoring contributes to transparency and traceability in the supply chain by recording the consumption of resources along the value chain. Companies can improve their sustainability performance through energy-efficient production processes and thus meet the requirements of the LkSG.

Advantages of MES systems:

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) from FORCAM ENSICO or SAP Digital Manufacturing offer functions for energy monitoring, performance analysis and traceability. Digital recording and evaluation of energy data can facilitate reporting and enable data-based decisions to optimize energy efficiency. Government funding programs support companies in the implementation of energy management systems.