Introduction

Abstract

The goal of this chapter is to introduce subjects and methods covered in this book and give an overview of the remaining chapters. It first gives the background of sustainable manufacturing and reviews energy consumption in US automotive industry. Then, it discusses the energy and environment management in the automotive industry. It also discusses the idea of using data and model-based analytics for smart energy and environment management. To provide a flavour of approaches used in this book, a cost comparison of pneumatic and electric actuator systems is illustrated as an example decision problem in energy management. Compressed air is frequently used in manufacturing plants to power pneumatic actuators, which are used for many applications including clamping, loading and spray-painting. On average, compressed air accounts for more than 10 % of total energy costs in a manufacturing plant. Unfortunately, it is highly inefficient because as much as 50 % of compressed air can be lost through leaks or excess pressurization in the distribution system. Given these flaws of compressed air, it becomes an important decision problem to compare the cost of pneumatic and electric actuators (as an alternative to pneumatic actuators) and find the right solution. Lastly, this chapter provides summaries of the contents of the remaining chapters in this book.