Energy Efficiency Opportunities in Automotive Assembly Process

This review identifies energy efficiency opportunities in the automotive assembly process, including air compression, metal forming, ventilation, painting, materials handling, and welding.

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY OPPORTUNITIES IN AUTOMOTIVE ASSEMBLY PROCESS
By Name
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Institution
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ABSTRACT
Currently, there exist various energy efficiency technologies which are applied in the
automotive industry to reduce the cost incurred in production. However, the automotive
manufacturing industries still experience numerous challenges concerning feasible energy
efficiency opportunities in managing greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and
production costs. This review seeks to identify a suitable energy efficiency opportunity that
exists in the automotive assembly or manufacturing plant. The most intensive energy consuming
processes discussed in this review include air compression, metal forming, and ventilation, air
conditioning, painting by the use of infrared curing, materials handling, and welding. After
analyzing the production, structure, trends in the automotive industry, and energy use in various
assembly processes, the energy efficiency opportunities are then examined. The cross-cutting
energy efficiency of utility procedures which do not affect the process of assembly show instant
potential for cost-effective savings on energy. Other opportunities discussed include monitoring
and maintenance for compressed air system, improve insulation for boilers and steam
distribution, controlling lighting, high-efficiency belts, variable voltage control in motors, and
recovering cooling water in HVAC.

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1. INTRODUCTION
The opportunities for energy efficiency during the manufacture of automotive are an
essential aspect of the sustainability approach of every manufacturing process. This review seeks
to review the Energy efficiency in automotive manufacturing systems. This review is then
followed by proposed opportunities for energy efficiency, which can be implemented by any
vehicle manufacturing plant. The manufacturing process of automotive entails chassis assembly,
engine and parts manufacture, production of the vehicle body, and the finishes. The automotive
assembly company produces various parts by itself, while other parts are delivered to the
assembly plant. Energy is used in multiple ways during the process of automotive assembly.
Electrical energy is generally used in the entire plant for various purposes such as air
compression, metal forming, and ventilation, air conditioning, painting by the use of infrared
curing, materials handling, and welding. Fuel energy is used during source heating, steam
application, and curing ovens of painting lines. One of the most energy-intensive processes
during automotive assembly is metals casting, which is applied during engine manufacturing.
After the identification of these energy efficiency opportunities, the evaluation will determine the
opportunities that exist to ensure that the manufacturing process is energy efficient.
This plan will discuss some of the existing literature on the energy efficiency
opportunities in the automotive assembly process, followed by a theoretical basis of the work to
be undertaken. Thereafter, it will provide an experimental set up for the design and explain the
expected outcomes. A grant chart will be generated for the anticipated timelines for completion
of the project.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
The process of automotive manufacturing entails four primary stages, namely
manufacture of components, production of automotive body, production of chassis, and final
assembly. Engines are cast from iron or aluminum and processed further in engine plants. The
vehicle bodies are typically formed out of sheet steel or with aluminum or plastic parts. The
frame or chassis is the main structure of the automotive, and it forms skeleton on which wheels,
transmission, suspension members, brakes, steering mechanism, axle assemblies, and engine are
installed. Painting and special priming are done to shelter the metallic bodies from corrosion. An
accurately parts and materials flow is substantial to maintain the production of the vehicle in the
assembly plant, to prevent possible disruptions and high inventory cost.
There are various theoretical strategies that automotive manufacturing of assembly plants
can incorporate in their approach to guarantee improved energy efficiency in their processes.
These measures target sections where energy is typically wasted during manufacturing or
assembly processes. Some of these areas include body weld, painting system, lighting, HVAC,
general utilities, motor system, materials handling, and compressed air system (Hettesheimer et
al., 2018).
Fuels are applied during space heating, steam application, and painting lines. The energy
used during general processes of the plant such as shutting or switching off the machines when
not under operation. The staff members should be educated to change their behavior like
switching off lights when it is no longer required to conserve the energy within the plant. There
is a necessity of changing the management of energy through the implementation of energy
management program in the entire plant to promote a successful and cost-effective way of
improving the efficiency of power (Lazzarin & Noro, 2015). There is also a necessity of

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determining the conditions and specifications motor systems used in the plant for air
conditioning, air compression, refrigeration, and cooling (Galitsky et al., 2011).
The motor systems should be upgraded and repaired to enable energy efficiency
improvements and ensure optimum performance. The efficiency may be determined by
considering the system strategy, which attempts to maximize the effectiveness of the entire
system of the motors like drives, compressors, pumps, and fans. Frequent motor system
maintenance should be performed to prevent any unexpected downtime of the motor systems.
The maintenance process entails a reduction in voltage imbalance, lubrication, load
consideration, alignment, and motor ventilation (Gherbi et al., 2017).
Compressed air systems are the most expensive energy form used in the plant due to its
poor efficiency. Poor compressed air systems maintenance can increase air leakage or pressure
variability and minimize the compression efficiency, consequently poor control of moisture,
increased operation temperature, and extreme contamination (Salvini, 2017). The management of
lighting systems can be done by using automatic control system such as occupancy sensors or
advising employees to make it a habit of powering off lights when not using (Kaufman &
Palmer, 2011).
The HVAC entails heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems and involves a
substantial energy quantity. The assembly plant is presently improving their ventilation and
cooling systems in response to the current conditions within the plant, perfect ventilation
matching, or cooling output according to the demand. There is a need for implementing building
shell to perform as insulation from hot or cold conditions of weather. Fans modification may also
contribute to energy efficiency by operating at design velocity and regulating the air flow (Shah
et al., 2014).

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There should be power shut down during system idling and cooling fans in welding and
inverter systems to ensure high efficiency to prevent continuous electricity consumption and also
improved power factor. High-efficiency welding power provides a broader power range than
conventional technologies. Multi-welding units can also be incorporated for track welding and
position welding, which can enable different welding machines to be used by one source of
power. This will require less power, reduce cleanup time, high deposition rate, and no downtime
for switching (Ulsoy, 2018).
Opportunities exist within vehicle assembly plants to minimize consumption of energy while
enhancing or maintaining the productivity of the facility. The table below shows the list of
energy efficiency measures that have been identified (Rahman et al., 2015):
Figure 1: Electricity consumption in automotive assembly plant (Galitsky et al., 2011)
The measure of energy efficiency can be categorized by process namely stamping,
welding, and painting, and also utility system, namely materials handling, general, HVAC,
motors, lighting, compressed air, steam and heat distribution, and compressed air systems.
Implementing or changing an entire energy program is usually the most cost-effective and
successful way of bringing about improvements in energy efficiency. Numerous automotive
manufacturers have implemented energy efficiency programs, which entails practices such as

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control systems and sub-metering, benchmarking, and measurement of energy use, goals, and
energy policies (Kaufman & Palmer, 2011).
Figure 2: Energy efficiency opportunities (Galitsky et al., 2011)
Since energy conversion into compressed air is inefficient, the use of compressed air
should be minimized or avoided if possible. Every automotive assembly plant should have a
leakage reduction program, control system, monitoring, and maintenance programs in place.
Numerous opportunities for energy reduction in the compressed air systems are not expensive
prohibitively, and also a period of payback for some options are short (Marshall, 2011).
Apart from energy savings, Computer controls during body welding enable a more
reliable, faster, less expensive, and more efficient welding process. In welding of high efficiency,
the power to the transformer is switched off during cooling of fans or system idling and is
switched on only when required with an expectation of 10 to 40% energy saving. Welding of
high efficiency has a broader power range than the conventional technologies, the power supply
is lighter and smaller, and hence control, precision, and welding quality are improved, there is

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reduced maintenance cost and increase in productivity through higher possible heat rates. Multi-
welding units are portable and lighter, smoother running with less spatter, increased rates of
deposition, reduced downtime, and reduced cleanup time (Shanping et al., 2011).
3. RESEARCH QUESTION, AIM/OBJECTIVES, AND SUB-GOALS
The objective of this research is to seek an answer to the following research question
1. What is the most feasible energy efficiency opportunity in the automotive manufacturing
process?
2. What are some of the exiting energy efficiency opportunities in automotive assembly
process?
Aim/Objectives and Sub-goals
The objective of this research is to seek answers to the aforementioned research question: What
are the most feasible energy efficiency opportunities in the automotive manufacturing process?
The study aims at evaluating some of the existing literature on the energy efficiency
opportunities in the automotive manufacturing process and come up with the best strategies
which are not only cost friendly but as well feasible. Further, the research will explore the
process of automotive assembly and the application of energy in each phase to come up with the
strategies for feasible and efficient opportunities in automotive manufacturing
The motivation behind this research is to find answers to the existing challenge in the
automotive industry, which has seen most people spend a lot of money in terms of fuel and
energy.

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4. THEORETICAL CONTENT/METHODOLOGY
In this section, a quantitative review and optimization approach will be adopted to find an
answer to the existing challenge posited in the research question.
Energy efficiency in automotive manufacturing systems
An energy efficient system poses excellent potential in the reduction of the consumption
of energy in manufacturing. In the field of automotive manufacturing, energy consumption
depends on factors such as the size of the car, which is being designed. Nonetheless, we find that
the total amount of energy consumption required by automotive relies on the management of the
energy efficiency, operation system, and the HVAC system. The recent estimating of the energy
demand in the manufacturing plant was around 1.40 and 3.43, with averagely 2.5 MWh for every
car ((EuroEnergest, 2013).
This rate is likely to be reduced with the optimization of energy consumption. Currently,
real-time control in the production systems is of more crucial role in enhancing the
responsiveness and system efficiency. An instance is the general motors case, where they gained
hugely from real-time methodologies existing in its decision support system. In addition, the
focus has been shifted to the specific process of energy efficiency enhancement. Usually, a
significant amount of energy is consumed when the cars are in idle mode. An instance is the
Toyota Company, which found out that only 15% of the energy is accounted for on the
machining functions, whereas 85% of the energy is consumed when the vehicle is idling
(Marshall, 2011).
Temperature control in manufacturing
Health, Safety, and Welfare regulation 1992 states that to offer a comfortable and suitable
environment for the workers and the machines, there should be a reasonable temperature for the

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indoor workplace. This reasonable temperature as defined by the code of practice is 16 degrees
Celsius on the least scale unless the conditions are severe and should not go below 13 degree
Celsius. For the controllers, a comfortable dead band has o established by setting a region of 4-5
degrees Celsius between the cooling and the heating thermostat set points. This would ensure
that an appropriate and car reduction working condition is attained. For the automotive, the ideal
temperature should range from 11 to 14 degree Celsius. The diagram below illustrates a dead
band control indication (Kaufman & Palmer, 2011)
HVAC systems and their real-time management
Ordinarily, the temperatures demonstrate a wide variation in different systems; thus, the
HVAC system needs to controlled and managed accordingly so that the amount of energy
consumed is, minimal or limited. Of importance are the controllers which are responsible for the
regulation and control of the surrounding environment. The basic scheme for the control system
is the on/off, which has contributed significantly to the automation sector for the HVAC systems.
For the HVAC systems, the set points are the ones responsible for regulating the controller. For
instance, when the temperatures fall below a specific set input, the inputs will turn on;
consequently, when the temperature rises above a particular set limit, the inputs will turn off. The
cycle will then repeat itself in the same manner (Kaufman & Palmer, 2011). The dead zone will
thus be that zone between the maximum and minimum set points whereby the controller does not

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carry any operation. A numerical weather system can be of great advantage to an HVAC
control system if accuracy is desired (Marshall, 2011).
Energy flow, and information flow in manufacturing systems
A relationship exists between the workflow, energy flow, and the flow of information.
For the workflow and information flow, lot sizes band weather forecasts result in the connection.
For the energy flow and workflow, the connection is brought about by multiple rates of
production, which results in multiple levels of energy consumption (Ulsoy, 2018). Nonetheless,
the outcome from the sum of the individual process does not generate the total amount of energy
as their relationships affect, either positive or negative on each other. Therefore, investigation of
the management of the energy system needs to investigate the practice and negative links
between the flows.
5. EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP
The experimental set up of the study will be involve a simulation of the Energy-smart
production by taking a simulation on computer of the various activities in the automotive
manufacturing system as well as an empirical study. In the automotive industry, the
environments are complex and dynamic, considering the various machines involved in
carrying out the operations. The shop floor for the experimental set up will entail measuring
equipment, one ideal machine and an operating CNC machine. LabVIEW will be used to
combine all the data as well as provision of simulation control. Besides, surveys will be
conducted to various automotive assembly design engineers as they stand the best position to
provide information on what takes place in the field of design.

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Some of the potentially linked problems associated with undertaking of the experiment
includes production of the planning models, performance of the risk analysis, and interface
between the simulation models and the optimization models. Additionally, there is no
assurance that the data to be obtained from the survey will be reliable.
Closed ended questions will be constructed to expedite the process of collecting data as
well as simulation of the experimental variables as shown below.
The diagram illustrates the experimental set up of the system

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6. RESULTS, OUTCOME, AND RELEVANCE
Hypothesis
Research question research hypothesis
Q
1
1. What is the most feasible energy
efficiency opportunity in the
automotive manufacturing
process?
H1 Energy-smart production management
simulation
Q
2
2. What are some of the exiting
energy efficiency opportunities
in automotive assembly process?
H2  Application of Fuels during
space heating, steam application,
and painting lines. The energy
used during general processes of
the plant such as shutting or
switching off the machines when
not under operation
 The motor systems should be
upgraded and repaired to enable
energy efficiency improvements
and ensure optimum
performance.
 Compressed air systems
maintenance
 power shut down during system
idling and cooling fans in
welding and inverter systems to
ensure high efficiency
Manufacturing data
The manufacturing sat which will be applied of this case includes the climate forecast,
shop floor temperature, energy consumption of CNC machines, production schedule, the energy
consumption of the HVAC system, and the production process. The data entails both real-time
and historical data. The data acquisition tools and the implementations tools will include arena
simulation programs and lab view (Hettesheimer, et al., 2018).
Energy-smart production management simulation

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Using CAD models, the e-pro man simulation will acquire data from three sources, namely:
temperature of the manufacturing facility, energy consumption, and weather forecast.
In-process correlation analysis and analytics
This process is means t to offer a comprehensive understanding of the relationship
between flow aspects of information, work, and energy flow (Galitsky, et al., 2011).
Results
With the experiment being done at two different seasons, winter ranging in January and
summer in August, the below representation illustrates the average temperatures for the seasons
In summer, the peak temperature was 28 degrees Celsius, while the winter temperature
was 13degrees Celsius. Since the health and safety policies advise on the operating range of
temperatures between 16 and 19 degrees Celsius, the air condition system is supposed to operate
in summer season while the heating system in the winter season (Shanping, et al., 2011).

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7. PROJECT PLANNING AND GANT CHART
Project phase
number
Project phase Estimated
duration (days )
Start –end date
In weeks
1. Project
preparation
30 Week 1-4
2. Project effort 15 Week 4-6
3. Phase 2 project
effort
15 Week 6-8
4. Analysis and
validation
15 Week 8- 10
5. Testing phase 10 Week 10-12
6. Delivery phase 10 Week 12-14
Total 95 days
8. GANT CHART
Project milestones and variables

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9. CONCLUSION
Majority of automotive companies globally have energy management programs or teams,
however, the most suitable and feasible measures are still lacking at the particular plant to
minimize the consumption of energy cost-effectively, both in process and utilities. More than 30
energy-saving technologies and opportunities have been identified in this research based on case
studies that illustrate the implementation of the possibilities. Energy efficiency by incorporating
utility procedures during the assembly process as well as a simulation control for automotive
manufacturing is expected to show savings on energy instantly after implementation. The
measures towards energy efficiency discussed in this research reduce the consumption of energy
in HVAC, power supply, steam, and hot water distribution and generation, lighting compressed
air, and use and supply of motors. Majority of these opportunities have fast payback relatively.

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The level of implementation of these opportunities varies by continuous evaluation of the
measures, end-use, and the plant.

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