Led by the Institute of Systems and Technologies for Sustainable Production (ISTePS) under the Horizon 2020 program, DENiM introduced an innovative solution to optimize industrial energy management, promoting sustainability and the circular economy.
The digital technologies developed by the project enable seamless integration of digital services in manufacturing, such as digital twins, advanced data analytics, and energy modeling, supporting continuous assessment of energy, environmental, and cost impacts.
Sustainability Promotion
Through an innovative approach, DENiM enables companies to achieve more transparent and controllable energy management, optimizing resources, reducing waste, and facilitating the adoption of standardized frameworks.
A key aspect of the project was the integration of sustainability, energy management, and production planning. DENiM supported businesses in adopting sustainable practices aligned with the European Green Deal objectives, contributing to carbon emission reduction and promoting the circular economy.
One of the most significant outcomes is the GRETA Sustainability Assessing and Advisory Platform, developed by SUPSI, which provides real-time assessment of the environmental impact of production processes. The platform includes a sustainable production planning tool that leverages predictive data on renewable energy availability to optimize production with a sustainability-focused approach.
Additionally, DENiM integrated energy performance management at the plant scale using advanced tools for energy auditing, process optimization, production planning, and renewable energy integration. The use of real-time data has enhanced decision-making capabilities, ensuring a proactive and integrated approach to energy efficiency.
Tools for Digital Transformation
The project has developed innovative tools for the digitalization of manufacturing companies, including:
- Digital Intelligent Platform: Enables full data integration and analysis for optimal energy management.
- AICORE Open-Source Platform: Ensures secure, real-time data access, enhancing communication between technologies.
- LCC Model and Software Tool: Provides cost data calculations, allowing companies to efficiently identify key areas for energy consumption savings.
- Strategic Decision-Support Tool: An integrated system of tools that assists companies in making strategic decisions based on their specific needs, offering a competitive advantage while reducing environmental and cost impacts.
These tools help businesses enhance sustainability and overall production efficiency.
Digital skills and education
Another key focus was bridging the digital skills gap, which is crucial for adopting new technologies. DENiM promoted an interdisciplinary approach between industry, technology, and education, supporting companies in identifying training needs and the most suitable reskilling paths while assessing their impact.
A series of Best Practices were developed to overcome the main challenges identified during the project, particularly in implementing digital and monitoring technologies across companies of different sizes and sectors. The project's diverse pilot programs played a crucial role in this process, allowing proposed solutions to be tested in various production environments. This enabled the development of a methodology that can be easily adopted by many other industrial realities.
Through the implementation of cutting-edge technologies and a strong commitment to sustainability, the DENiM project marks a decisive step towards smarter, more sustainable, and more efficient production processes across Europe. DENiM is not just a technological innovation project, it is a model for the future of European industrial production, where energy, digitalization, and skills come together to drive transformative impact.