Introduction and challenges
Manufacturing operations are a major target for reducing environmental impacts, thanks to the consumption of natural resources including energy, of which relatively little comes from renewable sources, the water intensity, and the production of emissions.
The pursuit of efficient and effective manufacturing operations has been able to deliver against both traditional commercial goals and environmental ones, for example complying with regulations like emissions taxes, adopting lean techniques, or reducing waste of raw materials and energy.
But, delivering strategic sustainability plans may come into conflict with traditional models and metrics as manufacturers come under more pressure from global challenges for resources and restrictions on suppliers, variability and uncertainty around energy costs and other unavoidable costs, potentially enormous investments required to modernise, and governmental regulation.
Environmentally sound basics, plus radical new approaches – such as emphasis on reusability and the circular economy – are essential to keep a competitive edge and ensure a transition to a more sustainable model which will guarantee the longevity of tools and resources and ultimately maintain profitability over time.
In short, businesses need to combine short-term operational optimisation and medium-term structural transformation, in order to achieve significant long-term benefits.
How we can help
Argon & Co supports its clients around four major themes:
- Eco-manufacturing: improve the efficiency of manufacturing processes, production tools and buildings by targeted investments, including using our scprime® methodology and our Stable Ops™ approach
- Operational excellence: develop ecological excellence practices in production, maintenance or waste management. Support these actions with advanced digital management solutions and with an integrated management system (IDEX) to reach further targets
- Sustainable footprint: consider the environmental and social impact in your industrial model and strategy in order to define a competitive, economical and sustainable target
- Industrial ecology: identify and implement synergies with the surrounding professional and individual ecosystem for the recovery of heat, waste or co-products (reuse or recycle) in a circular economy logic