Energy-intensive industrial processes are often necessary for production. By using data from the factory floor and AI, SoftServe was able to reduce a paint booth’s energy use by 20% — saving a client €4M annually without throttling output.

The highly energy-intensive processes of temperature control and air conditioning are essential to many manufacturing operations. As such, attempts to reduce their energy often run up against output requirements. SoftServe collaborated with a client to implement a composite AI energy management solution to dynamically optimize equipment settings in real time — reducing energy use without throttling production.

The project began with the client identifying the potential to curb energy use in its automotive paint booths. Painting cars requires large volumes of air conditioned to a precise humidity and heated to a specific temperature. Prior to the project, the air conditioning equipment was reactively set according to changes in the input air temperature and humidity. That means that settings were frequently suboptimal and resulted in large energy inefficiencies.

To enable proactive control, we drew on historical data and new sensorization to gain visibility about the machinery settings and weather. Using system data analysis, we supported our client with actionable insights into the paint booth’s dynamic energy usage and inefficiencies. Using that visibility to optimize equipment settings, management reduced the booth’s energy consumption by almost 10%.

In a second step, we collaborated with our client to create a composite AI solution using the paint booth data to anticipate the future optimal settings of air conditioning equipment based on weather and energy dynamics. After deploying an internet of things (IoT) control pipeline to automatically implement the algorithm’s recommendations, the paint booth obtained a further 10% reduction in energy consumption.

 

 

With a total reduction of energy usage of around 20%, our client will see substantial returns from the project. The resulting decrease in utility costs for the paint booth will bring up to €4M in annual savings — representing an ROI of over 4x after the first year.

Most importantly, our client was able to harness the power of composite AI to dynamically control systems within its production for maximized energy efficiency. The solution can be easily scaled across multiple plants, making energy use reductions rapid and affordable — and less energy-intensive — across the board.

And with high transferability and a deployment time of less than six months, the AI-based solution empowers our client to quickly test and roll out further energy reduction initiatives throughout the production process.

Reducing energy doesn’t mean sacrificing productivity. If you are interested in acquiring a proven energy management solution for your manufacturing facility, SoftServe can help. Let’s talk.