Optimization

Two key factors determine a product's lifetime: the way it is designed and built, and whether consumers choose to properly maintain (repair) or to replace it. Manufacturers are in control of the first factor and can very much influence the second by providing detailed descriptions and guidelines on...

Managing commercial fleets of cars, vans, trucks, trailers and specialised vehicles used for work purposes is a time-consuming and resource-intensive task. Fleet management covers a range of functions, such as vehicle financing, maintenance, telematics (tracking and diagnostics), driver management...

Renting and leasing means that you can use a product without owning it. This can be favourable, for example if you only need a certain tool once, or if it is a complex tool that needs a lot of maintenance, it is most likely a lot cheaper to rent or lease it than to buy it. By not buying an...

Since the 1950s, clean-in-place (CIP) systems have been reliably used to clean inside surfaces of tanks and pipelines in liquid process equipment to avoid costly downtime associated with lengthy dismantling and cleaning tasks. The technique covers a variety of areas, but its main purpose is to...

Sharing an asset with other companies can be done when you are not using the asset for 100%. An asset can be anything that you use to make your business run: from an oven for catering services to construction equipment, from a car to a server computer. Any business faces variations in orders and...

Cutting waste in a systematic way will help SMEs to reduce cost and save material. A special waste-prevention plan will be very helpful in introducing such a systematic approach. It helps to understand where resources are used, where waste is generated, and to find and prioritise waste-reducing and...

Orchestrated transport, an efficient symphony Well-orchestrated logistics partnerships cuts costs and CO2 emissions Cost savings of 10-20 % and CO2 emissions of 20-50 %, depending on the business case and transport modes Tri-Vizor functions as an intermediary or third-party link between companies...

Trends like online shopping, just-in-time production and delivery, and increasing warehouse costs are forcing logistics operators to deliver more frequently, which often means under-capacity loading. At the same time, fuel and vehicle costs are going up and consumers are conscious of the...

Measuring and control systems (MCS) are used to automatically control both manufacturing and non-manufacturing processes, including monitoring, visualisation and evaluation. Installation of frequency drives on electric motors, such as variable speed drives (VSD), is a typical industrial MCS measure...

Traditional accounting systems are not routinely designed to provide companies with information about total costs related to the use of resources and generation of waste and emissions. When a company is able to calculate and allocate costs on so-called non-product outputs, it can better monitor the...