Nick Barrett, Editor
nick@maintenanceandengineering.com
@MaintOnLine
Emissions monitoring is a topic of increasing importance for manufacturers. As more firms begin implementing their net zero and sustainability strategies and commit capital investment into low emission plant, equipment and processes, having a strong handle on the carbon reductions being achieved will be critical.
Businesses taking this agenda seriously also need to understand their starting point in terms of greenhouse gases being emitted in order to plan a viable trajectory to net zero; ideally one that does not harm productivity and which could even bring valuable energy savings.
It was therefore of some concern that the independent Climate Change Committee’s recent annual progress report – detailed on page three opposite – highlighted currently poor availability of emissions data in the manufacturing and construction sectors.
It is well known that industrial emissions have been seeing an overall downward trend over the last decade, and there are clear indications that reducing carbon is rising further up the agenda among manufacturers.
But the report warns that progress is difficult to measure due to the lack of data. In light of this finding, the Committee has called upon the government to reform decarbonisation data collection and reporting.
Requiring companies of all sizes to report their annual emissions – in a similar manner to the way financial accounts are reported and audited – is something that voices within the industry have called for in the past.
A key element of this, it is believed, must be the establishment of a carbon regulator to oversee the reporting and verification of greenhouse gas emissions reduction and removal across the economy. Such a regulator would also help to avoid the practice known as ‘greenwashing’.
This leaves the all important question of how businesses can best monitor their emissions. Technology in this area has advanced in recent years and a number of different methods and applications are highlighted in this issue.
On page 18, Mark Naples of Umicore Coating Services discusses the use of technology featuring infrared gas detection filters to detect and quantify harmful gases coming out of industrial stacks. “Monitoring and data enable action planning, goal setting, in some cases culpability, and the attraction of funding and research and development,” he states.
Meanwhile Jason Taylor of SGS UK explores the identification of ‘fugitive’ methane emissions – a potent greenhouse gas – using portable infrared imaging technology, rather than fixed sensors, to detect gas leaks. “Early detection and quantification will ensure that maintenance and operations departments can coordinate any remedial actions long before the leak requires an unplanned and costly plant shutdown,” he writes on page 14.
The issue also features insights from Fluke and Atlas Copco on methods of detecting compressed air leakage to minimise energy loss; acoustic imaging and ultrasonic leak detection are among the techniques put forward.
It is clear that technology is increasingly available to help businesses measure all sorts of direct ‘Scope 1’ emissions, while also informing necessary capital investments and equipment maintenance efforts.
However the next challenge, which will undoubtedly require greater government support, is to establish how manufacturers will be able to keep track of those indirect and embodied ‘Scope 3’ emissions which run throughout their supply chain.
Outlook remains shaky for manufacturers
Manufacturing looks set for more tough months ahead if the latest industry sentiment figures provide any indication. Findings from the most recent S&P Global / CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index report show that June saw output growth grind to a near-standstill, with new orders contracting for the first time in 17 months.
Even more worryingly, business optimism dipped to its lowest level since May 2020 – which all will remember as a time of major uncertainty in the midst of the first Covid lockdown – as the number of firms expecting production to rise over the coming year fell to 47%, down from 55% in May.
This most likely reflects concerns about the slowdown in output and significant inflationary pressures plaguing businesses, which remained elevated in June. Despite this, on average companies still expect output to be higher one year from now, with optimism being linked to investment, growth plans and hopes for a return to a more “normal” economic environment.
As the current inflationary pressures continue to bite, it is to be hoped that those remaining optimistic are proven right.
Further indications of current industry sentiment came from Novuna Business Finance which reported that the percentage of small businesses in the manufacturing sector predicting growth has fallen since the start of the year, from 46% to 34%.
It is these smaller firms that have been suffering the worst in light of the rising prices for materials and energy, as opposed to larger businesses with the resources to weather the storm.
However, as Novuna’s head of insight Jo Morris elaborates, the picture emerging from the findings is of a small business community determined to succeed. “Many have survived Covid through a willingness to change and innovate and this dogged determination has helped many to become more agile and resilient in reacting to change.”
This approach should stand firms in good stead for the challenging months ahead.