A Framework for Environmental and Energy Analysis of the Automobile Painting Process

The automobile industry is experiencing many challenges that affect its sustained growth. The increasing cost of energy used at production plants is often identified as one of the main challenges. Environmental regulations also pose pressure on industry. Within the automobile manufacturing stages, the painting process is the most energy intensive. In this work, a framework for a European collaborative project is presented. The utility of the framework is briefly presented to highlight improvement opportunities to lower energy consumption and environmental impact of a plastic part paint shop.