Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) manufacturers in Liverpool City Region supported by Made Smarter are using technology to save pounds and the planet.
Businesses working with the technology adoption programme are investing in new machinery and digital tools to make their buildings, equipment, manufacturing and transport processes more efficient, use less energy, and produce less waste.
Additionally, some manufacturers are supplementing this with measures like switching to LED lighting in their factories to slash electricity bills; and investing in renewable energy sources and biomass boilers to power their plants.
As a result, manufacturers are reducing costs, boosting profit margins, and increasing competitiveness, helping them navigate the impact of the Covid-19 crisis, and paving a path to recovery and growth with a new resilience.
The 187 technology projects supported by Made Smarter are forecast to deliver an additional £147.8M in gross value added (GVA) for the North West economy over the next three years.
The drive towards a more sustainable approach to manufacturing is reducing the businesses’ carbon footprint and impact on the environment, helping the UK achieve its ambitious net zero target by 2050.
Among those is Bromborough based Parity Medical, a manufacturer of mobile wireless computer carts and specialist clinical computing devices based on the Wirral, which is using technology to reduce their transport emissions.
Working with Made Smarter, it has invested in an off-the-shelf software package which will enable sales staff and customers to have a meeting using an online virtual showroom. The solution also integrates with the company’s administrative, sales and production systems.
Parity Medical believes the solution could reduce travel by 30,000 miles, cut its carbon emissions by 11%, the equivalent of 11 tonnes per year, and reduce travel time and costs. It will also significantly accelerate the initial sales demonstration process from two days to just one hour.
Steve Wood, Managing Director, said, “The technology will transform our sales process, removing delays and errors, allowing us to get it right the first time – which will make us significantly more efficient. This will increase productivity and accelerate the business’s growth.
“The reduced travel translates into lower carbon emissions at a time when sustainability is increasingly important to the industry.”
Donna Edwards, North West Adoption Programme Director at Made Smarter, said: “Climate change can no longer be ignored. The manufacturing industry, together with the transport and storage industries, produce 15% of the UK’s greenhouse gases.
“Manufacturers are facing pressure to become more sustainable from their own employees, customers, the government, investors, and wider communities.
“Technology has played an incredibly important part in enabling businesses to navigate the pandemic and recover. There is no doubt that digital tools are also key to addressing the challenge of decarbonisation and help the UK achieve its net-zero aim.
“Digitalisation offers a huge opportunity for manufacturers to deliver operational efficiencies, decarbonise heat and power, optimise design and materials, and improve logistics and transport, benefitting their business, their bottom line and the environment.
“It is encouraging that so many Made Smarter supported manufacturers have started this journey and found the sustainability sweet spot between these economic, social, and environmental goals.”
As well as offering free, impartial expert advice, Made Smarter has produced a free guide to help SME manufacturers take their first steps in reducing carbon emissions and become more sustainable. Download it here: www.madesmarter.uk/media/wrqfswjh/made-smarter-guide-reducing-carbon-emissions-through-technology.pdf
For more information visit madesmarter.uk
Main image: Steve Wood of Parity Medical.
Have you got a Wirral story? Email news@birkenhead.news
Like the birkenhead.news Facebook page and follow @BirkenheadNews on Twitter
Read more birkenhead.news articles.
Facebook Comments