AJ Engineering of Forres using internet of things technology to is manage carbon footprint and improve efficiency
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A LOCAL engineering firm is getting smart about environmental savings.
With the support of the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Forres-based AJ Engineering is managing its carbon footprint and improving efficiency with internet of things (IoT) technology.
Securing funding and technical support from CENSIS - Scotland’s innovation centre for sensing, imaging, and IoT technologies - AJE is making savings on annual electricity usage as a result of new systems.
AJE director and general manager, Graham Alexander, said: “This new system has opened our eyes to how parts of the business consume energy. The equipment has allowed us better appreciation of what aspects of production and business are the largest energy consumers. As well as cutting our own carbon footprint, it will have benefits for customers who ask us to supply information about our carbon footprint and the energy consumed by specific processes for their own emissions reporting. With access to accurate real-time data, we will be well-equipped to do so.”
A series of connected sensors operate across AJE’s Greshop site, enabling management to spot where energy is being used and take steps to reduce consumption in particular processes or buildings. The technology has highlighted significant savings to be made by reducing heating and lighting at parts of the facility that had not been identified as large consumers of power.
Having access to real-time carbon footprint data will also help AJE win new contracts. The initiative formed part of the IoT Evolve programme, funded by the Scottish Government and Highlands and HIE to support SMEs in the region with the development and application of IoT technologies.
Business development manager at CENSIS, Ally Longmuir, said: “This was AJE’s first foray into the world of IoT and it is great to see the business realising the benefits. Sustainability and carbon accounting are only going to become more critical as Scotland approaches its 2045 net zero target, and this is a great example.”
