Industry 4.0: Opportunities for Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Smart Factories

The manufacturing sector consumes a high percentage of the energy used in the world. Consequently, it is also one of the biggest contributors of in greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts are being made to find ways to reduce energy consumption and make the manufacturing more environmentally friendly. The initiation of the idea of the Industrial Internet, also referred to as Industry 4.0, provides several opportunities to support these efforts. The integral use of technology along with optimized manufacturing processes through smart and efficient methods and applications can help enhance the manufacturing processes and reduce energy consumption. This paper examines and discusses the opportunities offered through the utilization of the concepts introduced by Industry 4.0. The paper highlights the main benefits gained by introducing smart services and technologies into the manufacturing industry and how these can make smart factories more energy efficient. Consequently, both the production cost and greenhouse gas emissions can be significantly reduced. The paper also provides a model that facilitates the introduction of these opportunities, as smart services and applications, in the smart factory. This model will offer various benefits for smart factories, which the paper also analyzes.