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NEWS A TECHNOLOGY IS CRITICAL TO BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY


lmost 60% of manufacturing businesses have considered how IT can help them be more sustainable, according to new industry research.


The research, which was carried out by leading IT provider, Digital


Space, surveyed over 1,000 representatives, to highlight the valuable role IT has in reducing corporate environmental impact. The report found that 59% of manufacturers had already considered


the correlation between sustainable IT and scalable business growth, while 67% considered how IT providers can help their organisation become more sustainable. Public cloud, for instance, is 80% more carbon and energy efficient


than running infrastructure in a data centre, while SD-WAN promotes re-use, and remanufactured laptops can provide cheaper and greener options for users. Tim Lancaster (pictured), Managing Director of Cloud at Digital


Space, said: “While our sustainability report has shown that manufacturing professionals want to be more sustainable and believe that IT can reduce carbon emissions, it has also demonstrated some reluctance to take sustainable action. “Despite recognising the importance of technology in achieving


company-wide sustainable targets, IT professionals have been deterred by associated costs with only 7% revealing that cost was not


COMMENT STAY CONNECTED


How’s your work-life balance? Do you feel that you are fairly rewarded for the hours you work, and get the time off you deserve? If you do, it appears you are in the minority. A new study by Small Business


Prices (smallbusinessprices. co.uk) has analysed how much overtime countries around the world do to reveal which ones have the best work-life balance. The UK didn’t make it into the top ten, ranking 11th in the work-life balance index. Using ONS data detailing the overtime hours of the UK’s workforce, the study found: • The average UK worker does


approximately 22 working days worth of overtime per year • Women in the UK clock up 6.8


hours more overtime each month than their male counterparts • The manufacturing industry


ranks 6th in the UK for average overtime worked (hours per week) at 4.5hrs. With the cost of living crisis


affecting us all, it’s time companies stopped expecting their employees to work for free, and rewarded workers for all those extra unpaid hours. Michelle Lea - Editor


technology into the higher education curriculum, has expanded its university partnerships bringing its total to 10 leading UK universities. The initiative supports


C


academic staff to tailor Siemens’ industrial hardware, software, and learning materials to develop crucial Industry 4.0 skills for their students. Sheffield Hallam University and


the University of the West England (UWE) are the latest universities to sign up. They join the University of Sheffield, Manchester Metropolitan University, Liverpool John Moores University, Middlesex University, Teesside University, the University of Exeter, Coventry University and the University of Salford. By using curriculum examples,


case studies, and real-life problem-solving tutorials, more than 470 learners have been armed with real-world industrial experience and new digital skills. “As we move deeper into the


technology-driven fourth industrial revolution there’s never been a greater need for creative, innovative thinkers to help create, understand and implement nascent technologies,” said Brian Holliday, managing director, Siemens Digital Industries UK. www.siemens.com


4 APRIL 2022 | PROCESS & CONTROL


onnected Curriculum, Siemens' teaching programme integrating


an important factor. Our advice here would be to look at the long-term savings and goals. When considering pay-as-you go tariffs, re- use and employee productivity, especially from cloud technologies, organisations will benefit from cost savings as well as increased sustainability.” Other key takeaways from the report included: • 66% of respondents operating in Manufacturing and Engineering


advised their industry competitors proactively showcase their own sustainability agenda. • Just under one third [31%] advised sustainability is already a key


component of their product offering. • Only 40% advised their sustainability agenda is driven by customer


expectations. • 47% advised the focus on reducing their carbon footprint is already


affecting their use of IT, with 29% revealing they expect their use of IT to be impacted within the next 3 years. • 67% have considered how their IT provider could help their


organisation become more sustainable. Read the full report here:


https://www.digitalspace.co.uk/news/the-sustainability-report/ 10% TASKFORCE WILL CUT ENERGY USAGE


T


he British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) has launched the 10% Taskforce - a call for UK businesses to take simple steps to cut their compressed air energy usage figure by 10 per


cent, with the potential to save a combined £147.5 million in wasted electricity costs. The campaign has an ambitious target to save over 411 thousand tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of taking 317,000 cars off the road. Generating compressed air can be very energy intensive,


representing as much as 30 per cent of a site’s total electricity bill. According to a report entitled ‘Compressed Air Systems in the European Union’, when looking at the most important energy savings techniques available to compressed air users, ‘the energy savings amount to 32.9 per cent, achievable over a 15-year period.’ This includes a range of measures including system installation


or renewal and operation and maintenance techniques, such as reducing air leaks and more frequent filter replacement. Vanda Jones, BCAS Executive Director said: “Our new 10%


Taskforce is designed to help businesses save money and make a positive difference to the environment. We encourage everyone in the industry to get involved. Alongside a dedicated white paper (available to download for free at taskforce10.bcas.org.uk), which details the energy-saving potential and some of the simple steps that can be implemented, we will also be showcasing some of the best examples of energy-saving compressed air programmes through our website and social media.” To pledge your commitment to the 10% Taskforce and learn how


you could cut energy consumption from your compressed air system, please visithttps://taskforce10.bcas.org.uk


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