Companies reduce energy costs for IT, buildings and production facilities

Kiel – Energy monitoring is nothing new. Rising energy costs and legal requirements have already led some companies to establish metering systems. The associated challenges are not new either. In industry, for example, the question arises in production as to which measuring points it is worth connecting a sensor system so that the costs and benefits are appropriately balanced. This is because the most relevant measuring points need to be identified and fed in in order to be able to operate efficient energy data management.

The hurdles in data management

Once data collection is up and running, its complexity often makes it difficult to handle efficiently due to the many point solutions, data silos or various hybrid multi-cloud environments. This applies to all three of the main energy cost drivers: IT infrastructure, buildings and production.

As energy management is also a data problem, it is important to bring energy data sources from IT and OT environments into an overarching visibility.

A new approach in this respect is the Splunk data platform, which aggregates data centrally and independently of the manufacturer. It also includes automatic correlation and context of the collected data, making it easier to carry out targeted troubleshooting and realize potential savings.

The data analyses obtained in this way enable the industry to take targeted measures such as peak load management, optimized resource planning and intelligent standby operation. Thanks to these three leverage effects, cost savings of up to 30 percent can be demonstrably achieved:

• Timing (optimized planning of non-time-critical, energy-intensive processes)
• Pricing/price management (optimized peak load management)
• Availability (optimized standby mode of machines)

 Use cases

Bosch Rexroth is making this solution tangible at its Ulm model factory. Together with Consist and Splunk, the company first identified key areas for optimization within production using data technology. By using the three aforementioned parameters of timing, pricing and availability, the company was able to reduce energy costs and CO₂ emissions by up to 30 percent without compromising performance, quality and production schedules.

The approach taken in Frankfurt did not involve the integration of sensor technology. There, a large logistics company was able to optimize the space utilization and energy efficiency of its buildings by analyzing WLAN and LAN log data with Splunk in a data protection-compliant manner. As a Splunk technology specialist, Consist carried out the planning and implementation of the corresponding data management.

The Danish mining specialist FLSmidth, which took over the mining business from Thyssenkrupp in 2021, supports global companies on their way to zero emissions in the mining and cement industry. CO₂ dashboards, which were created there with Splunk, are an important control aid for this major goal.

In addition to greater efficiency, lower costs and a significantly better carbon footprint, another effect is that energy management with Splunk can also be used for verification reports such as the EU CSRD. This is common to all use cases.