eComau is an initiative started by Comau in 2008 to identify ways in which it could ensure long-term sustainability. Comau’s first energy efficiency project started in Poland at the end of 2008, and following an assessment of likely trends in carbon footprint reduction and energy efficiency, eComau was formalised in 2009 as “a business line dedicated to energy efficiency and sustainability,” explains Paolo Segreto, eComau’s Sales and Marketing Manager. “eComau is not a business unit. eComau is a business line which operates across all of Comau’s business units.”
Analysis of a milling machine led to the company identifying numerous areas where energy savings could be made, especially in standby mode. “In the past, energy efficiency was not a major issue, and the cost of energy was not so high. The eComau engineering team saw that there were margins that could be made without affecting the quality of the final parts. They saw from that pilot project that the customer could implement energy efficiency solutions developed by eComau in all of its equipment worldwide.”
Green-Fit
The work on the milling machine led to Comau coining the phrase ‘Green-Fit’, to distinguish the benefits this process offers from the general maintenance implications of the term ‘retrofit’. Green-Fit involves adapting existing equipment to improve the energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint, and is one of the three pillars of eComau – of which more later.
eComau’s first Green-Fit project achieved impressive energy savings in stand-by mode, says Segreto, including a 77% reduction in electricity consumption, a 48% reduction in compressed air, and a 100% reduction in lubricants. This led to a 20% reduction in general consumption, equivalent to a return on investment of less than two years. “And this is typical of the activities that eComau is doing in existing facilities to improve energy efficiency.”
The eComau processes and thinking can be implemented throughout a production facility, explains Segreto, and the paint shop is another area on which the company has focused. “We investigated other manufacturing processes that we could improve, and saw that, depending on the country, more than 50%, 60%, sometimes 70% of the energy consumed to produce one car is consumed in the paint shop.”
Having established eComau in 2009, “we are now fully operational in all processes,” says Segreto. “But it depends on the process, because the limit for the customer is always the time to return on investment. We try to find the best available technology that we can apply to each process. We began with milling machines we then addressed paint shops and automation. So we try to match our internal competencies with the needs of the customers.”
The benefits of eComau depend on the price of energy
Segreto elaborates on the difference in the application and benefits of eComau from one country to another. “An activity that could be interesting in Italy or Poland, may be less so in another country where the energy cost is lower,” he explains. Citing data to highlight the differing energy price fluctuations in Italy versus Europe as a whole, Segreto says that, at the end of August, the cost of electricity from 2009-2011 rose by 17% in Italy, compared with 9.5% across Europe.
The three pillars of eComau
There are three pillars to eComau: Energy Efficiency Consulting, Green-Fit and Sustainable Products and Services. Green-Fit, as explained earlier, is the term coined by Comau to differentiate the process from retrofitting. “It’s not retrofit, it’s about taking existing equipment, seeing if there is margin to save energy and money, and then improving and installing the best available technologies.”
In terms of the Energy Efficiency Consulting activity, Segreto begins his explanation with a word about the company’s history. “Since the 1980s, Comau has been a leader in automation. Now, eComau is offering its expertise on a consultancy basis to identify the best automation solutions for its customers.” eComau identifies not only new automation systems, but also advises on improving the energy efficiency of existing systems. “We start with energy audits, and then suggest the best technologies to implement.” The company takes an independent approach to advice on new machinery installations, but as Segreto points out, “we can also implement this solution for the customer.”
eComau’s Sales and Marketing Manager is keen to point out that the consulting activity reaches well beyond the factory shop floor, to any activity where energy savings and sustainability improvements can be found, including establishing new ‘eco dealerships’.
As for the third pillar, Sustainable Products and Services, eComau’s products have been designed and developed specifically for energy management using the most advanced sustainable technologies. Segreto explains that the company has developed internally a range of standby management devices and monitoring systems to reduce energy consumption. This range includes physical devices and software. The service aspect, Comau Service, as referred to earlier, is a major activity within Comau, incorporating maintenance activities, and utility and energy management. The benefit of this, says Segreto, is that by helping its customers reduce energy through its service and maintenance activities, “there is a sharing benefit between the customer and Comau Service.”
ISO 50001
Comau was the first company to receive global EN 16001 certification; in April of this year, the company was also awarded the ISO 50001:2011 Energy Management System certification. “The previous energy management certification was the European standard, EN 16001. The 50001 is ISO, so that is an international standard. The name is different, but the core aspects are the same. EN 16001 was issued in July 2009, and Comau was the first manufacturing company in Italy to be certified EN 16001.” It took Comau less than a year to certify all of its production plants. The situation is a little different in China, where ISO is not recognised; but even there, Comau’s two plants respect Comau’s Energy Management System.
“This year, we moved to ISO 50001. It was really important to do this first because it was the natural extension of the 14001 environmental certification. And linking energy and the environment is the best way to be sustainable.”
The certification is of great importance to Comau for promoting its energy efficiency and sustainability values to its customers. It also helped to develop sustainable thinking throughout the company. “First we have to be consistent internally,” says Segreto. The certification helped eComau to create an energy management system, and a global team in Comau that cares about energy, “not just about paying the bill but about thinking how we can save money and reduce energy consumption.”
A key aspect of ISO 50001 that Segreto is keen to highlight is the focus on sustainable purchasing, or Green Procurement. 50001, he says, “highlights the fact that the company’s purchasing department should choose suppliers and products according to energy efficiency. When you buy something, you should not just consider the upfront cost, but also how much you will pay for energy to use that product.”
As the prices of energy and raw materials rise, and as sustainability requirements become more stringent, green thinking is set to become ingrained in every aspect of the automotive industry, not only in manufacturing, but from concept to end-of-life. All processes, from design through manufacturing to sales and servicing, and beyond, will be rigorously assessed, both internally and by potential customers. By establishing eComau, and focusing on the future, now, Comau may have positioned itself ahead of the competition.
Martin Kahl is Editor, Automotive World editorial@automotiveworld.com
