Internet-of-Things Enabled Real-time Monitoring of Energy Efficiency on Manufacturing Shop Floors

Energy efficiency (EE) has become an important indicator in manufacturing industry due the rising concerns about climate change and tightening of environmental regulations. However, most manufacturing companies today are only able to monitor aggregated energy consumption and lack the real-time visibility of EE on the shop floors. The ability to access energy information and effectively analyze such real-time data to extract key indicators is a crucial factor for successful energy management. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce an internet-of-things (IoT) enabled software application for real-time monitoring of EE on manufacturing shop floors. While enabling real-time monitoring of EE, it also applies data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique to detect abnormal energy consumption patterns and quantify energy efficiency gaps. Through a case study of a microfluidic device manufacturing line, we demonstrate how the application can assist energy managers in embedding best energy management practices in their day-to-day operations and improve EE by eliminating possible energy wastages on manufacturing shop floors.