SUSTAINABLE WATER AND ENERGY USAGE WHY IT BELONGS IN YOUR SUSTAINABILITY


Al Kingsley MBE, CEO of NetSupport explains how greener IT can create sweeter results, and how smarter tech can cut carbon and costs in confectionery manufacturing.


T


he confectionery industry is no stranger to innovation. Whether it’s developing new flavours, adjusting recipes to meet dietary trends or


fine-tuning production lines for higher yields, change is part of the job. But alongside these creative and operational shifts, there’s another transformation taking place: the drive towards net zero. While most environmental conversations


in confectionery manufacturing focus on sustainable sourcing, energy-efficient machinery, or packaging innovation, there’s an often-overlooked contributor to carbon emissions – information technology (IT). From the Enterprise Resource Planning


(ERP) systems managing raw ingredients to the tablets tracking quality control on the shop floor, IT underpins almost every element of modern confectionery production. The way we purchase, maintain and manage those systems has a direct impact on energy use, costs, and carbon footprint. And with a few smart adjustments, IT can move from being a hidden source of emissions to an active enabler of sustainability. In a confectionery business, precision


matters. A delay in a temperature-controlled storage area can ruin a batch of chocolates; a fault in a packing line can hold up deliveries to major retailers. IT systems help avoid these costly disruptions, but they also come with their own environmental price tag. Every server, monitor, and barcode scanner has an embedded carbon footprint from manufacturing and shipping. Once in operation, they draw power, sometimes 24/7, even when not in use. And when something goes wrong, IT support teams often have to travel to remote factories or distribution hubs, adding transport emissions to the tally. These costs add up, particularly in companies running multiple production lines across several


locations. But addressing them doesn’t have to mean ripping out infrastructure. By making deliberate choices – extending the life of devices, reducing travel and optimising energy use – confectionery manufacturers can cut emissions while improving operational resilience.


Extending device lifecycles In many businesses, replacing devices every two to three years is treated as a necessity, even when those devices are still perfectly serviceable. The result? Higher costs, more e-waste and more emissions from manufacturing and delivery. In confectionery production, tablets used


for tracking ingredient batches, or ruggedised laptops for machinery diagnostics, don’t always need the latest specs to perform well. The real challenge is knowing when devices genuinely need replacing and when they can be maintained for another year or two. This is where centralised device management


comes in. With the right platform, IT teams can monitor performance across the entire device estate, from head office PCs to shop- floor workstations. They can roll out updates remotely, track usage patterns, and identify devices that are slowing down so they can be fixed before they fail. By extending device lifecycles,


46 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2025


manufacturers not only reduce e-waste but also avoid the financial and logistical headaches of frequent replacements. That means fewer disruptions to production, and more budget available for strategic investment.


Cutting travel with remote IT support Confectionery manufacturing often involves geographically spread facilities: production plants, packaging sites, distribution centres, and sometimes even retail spaces. In traditional IT support models, a malfunctioning printer in a warehouse or a network outage in a packing hall might trigger an on-site visit, potentially hours of travel for an issue that could be resolved in minutes. Remote access tools change that. With


secure, real-time access, IT teams can log in to a device from anywhere, diagnose the problem, apply a fix and have the system back online without stepping foot on site. For confectionery operations working to


tight deadlines, where a stoppage in one area can cascade into production delays, this is more


plan


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