Industry
Energy: a major challenge for the Factory of the Future
REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION ACROSS THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR
Industrial facilities account for one-fifth of total energy consumption in France. Industry is the third-largest consumer of energy, behind residential and commercial buildings and transportation. In France, the five most energy-hungry industries are:
- Paper and pulp
- Farming and food manufacturing
- Rubber, plastic, and other non-metal mineral-based product manufacturing
- The metallurgical industries
- The chemical industry
Substantially reducing the industrial sector’s energy consumption will require targeted measures, many of which will depend on technological innovation.
TOMORROW’S INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY
Making sure France’s industrial economy remains competitive
France’s new strategy for bringing its industrial sector into the future (the national Industrie du Futur agenda) builds on the advances made under the nation’s existing Factory of the Future plan. Manufacturing plants will be modernized and companies will receive support as they transform their business models, organization, design processes, and go-to-market strategies in an environment where digital technology is blurring the frontier between manufactured products and services.
Industrial processes on the front lines
New industrial processes will be needed to effectively respond to challenges like increasingly scarce resources, dependency on fossil fuels, and environmental conservation by:
- Replacing fossil-based fuels with carbon-free energy and using recycled materials instead of new raw materials
- Reducing the amount of energy, water, and raw materials used and the amount of waste, and effluents/emissions produced
- Reusing and recycling materials and substances and making it possible to reinject waste/excess materials and substances into processes
Clusters in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes join forces for industry
The eight nationally-certified clusters in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (Axelera, Imaginove, Minalogic, Mont-Blanc Industrie, Plastipolis, Techtera, Tenerrdis, and ViaMéca) and their more than 2,000 member companies have joined forces to shape tomorrow’s industrial economy with the support of Grenoble Institute of Technology.
The consortium of clusters is working together to leverage the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region’s capacity for collaborative innovation to drive advances in industry.
When it comes to the Factory of the Future, energy is a crucial issue, and one that Tenerrdis and its members are addressing through solutions and projects to make industrial processes more eco-efficient, to monitor and manage energy, and to reduce energy spending. The cluster and its members are also helping to support the emergence of the circular economy through projects to convert industrial process waste into energy.