Why sustainable manufacturing matters
Modern industrial manufacturing is under increasing pressure to balance performance, profitability, and environmental responsibility. Today, sustainable manufacturing is more than simply lowering emissions; it is a smart, more resilient, and cost-effective way to produce goods. By understanding the importance of sustainability not just for our facility, but also for our customers and planet, manufacturers can find clear growth opportunities, including operational efficiency, reduced waste, and success.
Sustainable manufacturing matters because it enables companies to:
- Reduce operating costs by lowering energy use, minimizing waste, and optimizing resource consumption.
- Improve product quality through more stable, more efficient processes.
- Increase system reliability and uptime using data-driven maintenance and advanced automation.
- Meet customer and regulatory expectations as sustainability standards continue to rise globally.
- Strengthen long-term profitability by reducing rework, scrap, and inefficiencies across the value chain.
- Enhance brand reputation and employee engagement, as workers and customers increasingly prefer companies with firm sustainability commitments.
Enabling the transformation to a low-carbon society
We have set science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Atlas Copco: Driving change through science-based targets
Atlas Copco is committed to science-based targets. In doing so, we aspire to decouple economic growth from our environmental impact. To succeed, we empower our customers with technology that significantly improves the sustainability of their manufacturing operations. Our latest solutions increase productivity while reducing energy and resource usage, enabling more efficient processes. In short, we help ourselves and our customers do more with less.
The industrial sector, which includes the manufacturing industry, accounts for roughly one-fifth of the global greenhouse gas emissions and consumes approximately half of the world’s energy resources. Thus, there is an urgent need for manufacturing companies to become more sustainable by optimizing energy consumption, transitioning to clean energy sources, reducing dependence on acquiring new raw materials, and reusing resources responsibly. Atlas Copco is committed to helping our customers navigate these important transitions and achieve their carbon-reduction targets.
Innovation and technological progress are key to finding lasting solutions to environmental and economic challenges. Companies must reimagine how to create and capture value in this new environment. Running a sustainable and profitable manufacturing process will require more intelligent insights from the plant floor to improve decision-making analytics, enabling better resource utilization and reducing operational waste. These examples of sustainable manufacturing improvements, driven by innovation and information, will ensure manufacturers achieve healthy returns on their capital investments.
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20%
The industrial sector accounts for roughly one fifth of the global greenhouse gas emissions... (*)
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50%
...and consumes approximately half of the world’s energy resources. (*)
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80%
of participants in a BCG survey reported that their company have plans to transition to carbon-neutral operations.
(*) Source: The World Economic Forum
Determine your sustainability impact
Using Atlas Copco's CO2 calculator allows businesses to estimate their carbon footprint, a crucial step in identifying and implementing strategies for more sustainable operations. This tool is essential for companies aiming to align with evolving environmental standards and enhance their efficiency and profitability through sustainable practices
Key principles of sustainable manufacturing
Sustainable manufacturing best practices involve many activities, and choosing where to begin or what to prioritize next can be daunting. Regardless of where you are on your sustainability journey, it is essential to track your progress and consider industry best practices that can deliver quick wins to sustain momentum.
When assessing the level of sustainable manufacturing in your facility, consider the following key principles.
Rework and scrap
One measure of your organization's sustainability is the amount of scrap and waste it generates and disposes of. Naturally, if you’re producing a significant amount of waste, you’ll require additional energy, labor, and machine time to fix or replace it. By taking steps to reduce your waste, you’ll gain more control over your assembly, improve profitability, and be on your way to reducing total energy consumption per unit.
Environmental Certifications
Alternatively, you can also pursue environmental certifications that help manufacturers demonstrate responsibility. At Atlas Copco, we understand the importance of continuous improvement, which is why we have been triple-certified under ISO 9001 for Quality, ISO 14001 for Environment, and ISO 45001 for Occupational Health and Safety for many years. See for yourself: ISO Certificates.
Tool efficiency
No matter what tools your teams use, it is essential to ensure their efficiency. For example, when using pneumatic tools, you’ll want to ensure you’re using the correct airline infrastructure. Otherwise, your entire production could suffer and cost you thousands of dollars annually. To learn more about installing the correct airline infrastructure, refer to our informational article.
Digitize for efficiency
Having a digital footprint can not only help you improve your production quality but also keep your most vital information structured and in one location. By using predictive maintenance solutions, you can reduce downtime, extend equipment life, and cut waste. In this way, you’ll be one step closer to creating a more sustainable Smart Factory.
Tools and solutions that can help you achieve your manufacturing sustainability goals
At Atlas Copco, we understand the importance of a strategic partner, which is why we consider our customers’ needs when designing all our assembly tools and solutions. When it comes to sustainable industrial manufacturing, we want the same things you do: to do more with less. Below are some solutions we offer that may help you enhance your productivity, quality, profitability, and ultimately, your sustainability.
Automation
Automation isn’t just an investment in cycle time or quality; it’s also one of the most powerful enablers of sustainability in modern manufacturing. When implemented in your daily assembly, automation can improve energy efficiency and minimize waste by accurately and repeatedly completing tasks. Our manufacturing automation systems help factories worldwide streamline and improve every part of their processes.
ALTURE – Data-driven solutions
Data is the key to improving your assembly. Turn your production data into clear, actionable information with data-driven services like ALTURE. With ALTURE, you can choose from two cloud-based service options: ALTURE Optimize and ALTURE Maintain. These solutions enhance production efficiency and deliver optimal maintenance schedules for your tools, helping keep your facility operating smoothly, thereby boosting uptime, quality, profitability, and ultimately, your sustainability.
Avantguard
Reducing defect rates is a sustainable manufacturing practice that will help you achieve several goals, including improving profitability. Avantguard helps facilitate that process by providing essential features such as tool interlock, operator guidance, and device integration, ensuring efficiency and quality. In this way, Avantguard can optimize your assembly and improve manufacturing sustainability.
ToolsNet 8
To improve your sustainable manufacturing practices, you will want ToolsNet 8 running alongside your teams of operators. This solution simplifies assembly by giving you insights and an overview to help you identify process improvements. With the capability to monitor, document, analyze, and continuously improve your operations, ToolsNet 8 will help you reduce defects by identifying patterns, bottlenecks, and comparing stations.
ToolsTalk 2
In pursuit of sustainable industrial practices, a client-server-based line management software solution should be in your arsenal. ToolsTalk 2 is one such solution, enabling quick and easy configuration and complete visibility and traceability across your entire line structure. By minimizing the time needed to configure your tools and program controllers, ToolsTalk 2 boosts productivity and sustainability by decreasing defects. This is achieved by providing complete traceability of tightening programs and their changes.
Battery and electric tools
There are many reasons to incorporate battery- and electric-powered tools into your assembly. It goes without saying that sustainability and manufacturing go hand in hand. By replacing unnecessary pneumatic tools or improving production quality through use, electric and cordless tooling can reduce costly downtime, rework, and recalls, thereby lowering energy consumption and waste. Furthermore, with the right ecosystem of solutions, you can ensure your teams always use cordless tools accurately and at the correct station.
Power Focus 8
Bringing it all together is the Power Focus 8 controller. The Power Focus 8 supports advanced tightening strategies, which can improve ergonomics and reduce errors. Furthermore, with the ability to connect up to 20 tools to one controller, the Power Focus 8 can help reduce energy consumption by consolidating controllers on your shop floor. In fact, our experts helped justify a project and drive sustainability for one of our customers, which you can read about here.
Atlas Copco's Commitment to Sustainability
Manufacturing companies, facing growing demands for environmental responsibility, are seeking sustainability in manufacturing not just as a choice but as a crucial aspect of corporate survival. Atlas Copco supports this transformation with Smart Integrated Assembly, a holistic solution for implementing sustainable, efficient, and profitable production processes. This approach enables the development of smart factories that utilize automation to optimize resources, reduce waste, and minimize energy consumption. Manufacturers can confidently navigate towards more sustainable production by collaborating with Atlas Copco, balancing profitability with ecological responsibility.
Sustainability is a key factor in modern-day industrial manufacturing. Let us share our insights, experiences, and knowledge to help you drive your manufacturing processes more sustainably. Contact us today to discover more!
