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Energy Efficiency and Improvement Needs in Swedish Manufacturing SMEs

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Advances in Production Management Systems. Production Management Systems for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous Environments (APMS 2024)

Part of the book series: IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology ((IFIPAICT,volume 728))

Abstract

Energy efficiency is crucial for reducing the climate footprint, enhancing green transformation and improving the economy and energy resilience. This paper aims to identify and demonstrate gaps between industrial practices found in empirical case studies and academic knowledge of industrial best practices for energy-efficient manufacturing design. The paper uses empirical cases where environmental and energy-value stream mapping and Green Kaizen tools were used to analyse production operations, highlighting potential operational and design improvements in production equipment and systems, and showing there are still large opportunities for energy efficiency improvements in manufacturing operations, which can save money and reduce environmental impact. Yet, several inefficiencies are determined in the equipment and production system's design phase, which are challenging to change once the equipment is in operation. The secondary climate effect of energy savings in a Swedish context, where unused electricity can replace fossil-based electricity, is discussed. The paper contributes to theory by linking previous research findings with the current industrial challenges and opportunities for energy and sustainability in operations management. The paper provides results and knowledge to help the industry improve energy efficiency in production.

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Disclosure of Interests

The authors have no competing interest.

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Acknowledgments and Author Contributions

The study was part of the Vinnova funded project Green Design (Dnr 2022-01338) and is within the XPRES initiative for Excellence in Production Research. Cases were also connected to Vinnova funded Scarce II, Grön Kaizen and to the SME development programs the Green Transition Leap, and the Production Leap. Authors contributed as follows: conceptualization and method, M.K., literature, M.K. empirics, M.K., N.T., G.C. formal analysis, validation M.K., Z.C., discussion and conclusion M.K., Z.C.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials and Production Div., RISE, Research Institutes of Sweden, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Martin Kurdve

  2. Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Martin Kurdve, Niklas Ternström & Gayathri Chandrasekaran

  3. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

    Zuhara Zemke Chavez

Authors
  1. Martin Kurdve
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  2. Zuhara Zemke Chavez
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  3. Niklas Ternström
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  4. Gayathri Chandrasekaran
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin Kurdve .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany

    Matthias Thürer

  2. West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, Zwickau, Germany

    Ralph Riedel

  3. ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Friedrichshafen, Germany

    Gregor von Cieminski

  4. Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City, Mexico

    David Romero

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Kurdve, M., Chavez, Z.Z., Ternström, N., Chandrasekaran, G. (2024). Energy Efficiency and Improvement Needs in Swedish Manufacturing SMEs. In: Thürer, M., Riedel, R., von Cieminski, G., Romero, D. (eds) Advances in Production Management Systems. Production Management Systems for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous Environments. APMS 2024. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 728. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71622-5_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71622-5_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-71621-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-71622-5

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