Close×

Digitising manufacturing processes can deliver significant financial savings of up to 80 per cent in capital expenditure and 85 per cent in operational expenditure.

A new report from energy management and automation specialist Schneider Electric examines 230 customer projects from the last five years, and finds that digitisation saved them an average 24 per cent in energy consumption alone, while digitising engineering processes can save an average of 35 per cent in capital expenditure and time optimisation.

It can also reduce commissioning costs of new systems and assets by an average of 29 per cent, according to Neil Smith, VP of industry at Schneider Electric.

“In Industrial applications, digital transformation allows businesses to do more with less — more yield with less energy, fewer materials, and fewer labour hours.

“Increased productivity, up to 50%, results from energy management and automation efficiencies across the value chain, from IoT-enabled tracking to automated production lines,” he said.

Digitising both energy management and automation can deliver even greater value as the two work in concert, said Gareth O’Reilly, country president at Schneider Electric.

“Digital transformation is the only way of delivering consistency and efficiency across a company. Technologies such as the Internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence and big data analytics are making companies more efficient and innovative, boosting their competitive advantage.

“This report indicates that many businesses and organisations need a trusted authority to manage this complexity to unlock the full potential of digital transformation,” he said.

The Digital Transformation Benefits report is available here.

Food & Drink Business

Specialist contract processing winery, Winemasters SA, has gone into administration after the site failed to sell. Hall Chadwick partners, Brent Kijurina and David Trim, have been appointed administrators.

George Weston Foods' (GWF) new Mauri flour mill in Ballarat is nearing completion after three years of construction, with the facility expected to be operational by the end of 2026. The Victorian government is supporting the project, which was initially announced in 2022, under its $150 million Victorian Investment Fund.

Months after announcing its exit from food science research, CSIRO has released a regional food system strategy for South East Queensland, calling for coordinated action on supply chains, land use, and food security ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.