There are two main drivers to cutting industry’s carbon footprint: concern over perceived climate change that could have incalculable costs for humanity, and health issues. A third is the likely rise in long-term energy costs. Of these, the second concern is indisputably justified and of more immediate concern, while the first may involve factors beyond human control, including, perhaps, man-made ones that would be extremely difficult to reduce. Farming, for example, emits more greenhouse gases than all cars, trucks, trains and airplanes combined. The concern is immediate because growing rates of global air pollution are exacting a heavy toll on life expectancy and making life a misery for millions suffering from pulmonary diseases like asthma. If only for this reason, factories and warehouses should consider the energy efficiency of their conveyors, but there is also the prize of ongoing cost savings.

chazTo appreciate one’s carbon footprint, one must evaluate the total cost of ownership (TOC). An electric motor on a conveyor system that costs £400 can easily consume more than its purchase cost in energy every year if it runs 24/7, so the TOC must be factored in. Conveyor companies are constantly striving to make their products more energy efficient and a good recent example is the 50 mm diameter motorised roller, Omega 50, from Kraus Betriebsausstattung und Fordertechnik, of Austria. Containing no gear unit or sensors, they have higher energy efficiency because the lack of a gear unit avoids energy loss.

While such advances are encouraging, energy-conscious companies should also look at the various mechanical handling techniques that, for example, bring goods to pickers or other automated equipment because some methods can be far more energy hungry than others. FAST  (fully automated standard tray) picking system from Knapp, is a good example. Its OSR shuttle not only allows for more compact storage, thus saving on overall energy bills, it combines high performance with energy efficiency. Its low shuttle weight and energy  recuperation requires only 5% of the energy needed for equivalent performance by a stacker crane.

The fact is, however, that control systems can play a far greater role in energy reduction. Typically, 80% of cost reductions derives from smart control systems, rather than just using more efficient components. A conveyor system, for example, only needs to run when there is a product in transit, and even then not the whole conveyor. Smart controls allow only that part of the conveyor to move where the parcel is located. Where there is full automation of handling and storage then no lighting is needed and it is usually lighting that accounts for the lion’s share of any warehouse’s total energy bill, typically, 60-70%.

To get the best from carbon emission cuts, companies must measure the energy consumed at sub system level rather than at site level.

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