MACHINE BUILDING S
ustainability in manufacturing is not only a moral obligation but also a business priority that enhances efficiency. One survey of 420 global manufacturing leaders reveals that over 70 per cent expect circular business solutions to increase their revenue by 2027, nearly two-thirds believe that these strategies will improve operational resilience, and over half anticipate cost savings even when accounting for high upfront investments. Companies are therefore adopting a long-term perspective, resisting the influence of current trends. As highlighted by one manufacturing association, ‘it is becoming increasingly clear that environmental responsibility is essential for long-term corporate survival.’
Another commentator notes “the increasingly clear connection between sustainability and business performance”, explaining that, “We’re seeing that initiatives that drive resilience and productivity, often naturally deliver environmental benefits. When companies optimise their processes to use less water, less energy and fewer materials, they’re simultaneously improving their environmental footprint and their bottom line. This alignment of environmental and economic imperatives is creating new opportunities for innovation and growth across industries.” The volatility of international change does not diminish the reality that manufacturers want to increase production without incurring additional costs. Sustainability and savings are often interconnected – using less costs less. Sustainability gains bring cost savings, by reducing energy use, minimising raw materials usage and waste production, and reducing the consumption of other resources, such as water, catalysts and lubricants.
WHERE ARE MACHINE BUILDERS FOCUSING SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS? To respond to demand from their manufacturing
THE SUSTAINABILITY AND SAVINGS SYMBIOSIS IN MANUFACTURING
customers, machine builders globally are bringing sustainability features to the forefront of their marketing. An analysis of the world’s top 50 machine builders shows that energy efficiency (promoted by 77 per cent of top machine makers) is the most widely published sustainability benefit. This is closely followed by productivity improvements associated with Industry 4.0, which 70 per cent of machine builders claim can be achieved with the same or reduced resources.
While this is certainly positive, what degree of savings influences manufacturers’ purchasing choices (beyond ethical and sustainability advantages)? Manufacturing equipment and solutions must also offer tangible cost savings to be a compelling business proposition, especially in an economic period challenged by input cost inflation, supply chain restructuring, elevated interest rates and more.
WHAT ARE CREDIBLE SAVINGS THRESHOLDS FOR MANUFACTURERS? To find the answer, a research exercise commissioned by Siemens Financial Services, entitled Talking Sustainability, surveyed more than 100 machine builders globally. This study revealed that the average minimum energy savings from new generation industrial equipment
By Stefania
Moruzzi, business development manager, UK
Industry & Machine Tools, Siemens
Financial Services UK
exceeds 20 per cent. While the ease of achieving these savings varies based on what a more sustainable machine replaces, most machine builders are confident that starting discussions with manufacturers can begin at the 20 per cent mark. Examples of savings and strengthened sustainability, enabled by equipment upgrades, abound:
A vacuum pump vendor reports 33 per cent reduced power consumption after deploying an energy-optimising dry pump upgrade for its customer – a semiconductor manufacturer company grappling with rising energy usage and expenses.
A technology company shares how its machine vision software, partnered with a robotics solution and specialist camera equipment, helped an industrial bakery develop a conveyor tracking system that accurately picks bags of bread and rolls that come in multiple shapes and sizes. A lower error rate and higher throughput of goods lead to a 75 per cent reduction in the overall costs compared to traditional camera and lighting options.
A manufacturer of packaged consumer goods was generating food waste of 1.3 per cent (actually thousands of kilos) at its German site, due to overfilled or underfilled packs being rejected. Thanks to new machinery, untouched food is hygienically removed and repackaged, while the original pack can be recycled – reducing waste by 55 per cent and resulting in over €1.24 million net savings.
The examples above show how new generation equipment can have a transformational effect on efficiency, strengthening sustainability at the same time, through energy savings or reduced waste. This is not going unrecognised by manufacturers. A global
32 Summer 2026 UKManufacturing
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