On September 20, 2017, the German MOVECO partner Bavarian Research Alliance GmbH (BayFOR) participated in the event “Green Factory Colloquium – Resource Efficiency for the Production of Tomorrow” in Augsburg/Germany. The two-day colloquium addressed study results from the project “Green Factory Bavaria” on resource efficiency, provided best practice examples from the industry as well as excursions to regional, innovative companies.

BayFOR participated in the event in order to meet relevant stakeholders, to enhance the visibility of the project in the region through personal contacts and to collect some inputs for the cross-country action plans in MOVECO. The company excursion lead us to Fraunhofer Research Institution for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV where we learnt about additive manufacturing.

What is the project “Green Factory Bavaria” about and what is the project’s background?

Like in many other European regions, the Bavarian manufacturing companies are facing rising energy costs and an increasing scarcity of resources. At the same time, an ever-growing number of enterprises in Bavaria incorporate sustainability principles. Additionally, their customers are often prioritising green and environmentally friendly products.

Therefore, resource efficiency becomes more and more a decisive competitive factor for enterprises in Bavaria. Thus, several green factories across Bavaria were set up. Are you wondering what a green factory is and how that could be relevant for MOVECO?

What is a green factory? How could green factories support processes to become more resource efficient?

A green factory is a platform for demonstration, research and teaching. Green factories are learning factories and, typically, they are characterised by partnerships between industry, research and development. In a green factory, trainings for engineers and customers from industry take place with the help of installed production processes from industry. Usually, they are located in a research institute.

Like in a test station, in a green factory, a simple process can be repeated under various scientific conditions, assessing the possibilities to make the process more efficient. With the help of these hands-on facilities, projects can be carried out to improve the existing processes e.g. in terms of resource and material efficiency. These results and outcomes in turn, help to transfer methods and technologies to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Thanks to the results from the green factories, resource efficiency in terms of material and energy use can be – depending on the process – significantly improved and costs reduced up to 30%.

What is the relation between circular economy and resource efficiency?

Resource efficiency means using the Earth’s limited resources in a sustainable way while minimising environmental impacts. By turning production processes more resource-efficient, costs can be lowered and fewer resources can be used in a more efficient manner. It is a core aspect of circular economy to increase resource efficiency and use materials and energy in a better way. The opportunities to improve resource efficiency

How could green factories be relevant to MOVECO and the Danube region?

Green factories could be considered as lighthouse projects for resource efficiency. They could be implemented across the Danube region in order to collect data to assess processes. This in turn, would help companies to make their processes more circular, save costs and create environmental benefits at the same time. Green factories for circular economy research could, therefore, foster the collaboration between research and industry. Additionally, they could help small and medium-sized enterprises to reduce costs and implement innovative business models, while developing environmentally sound solutions. Ultimately, this would help the Danube region to create green growth, sustainable jobs and to protect the environment.

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(Photo credits: MOVECO project)