How automation & cutting-edge technology can help achieve your sustainability goals
In an era of heightened environmental awareness and corporate responsibility, sustainability is no longer a sideshow, it’s a strategic priority and avenue for competitive advantage. From carbon neutrality to zero-waste operations, manufacturing and logistics businesses are looking at various strategies to minimise their impact on the planet. Fortunately, the rise of automation, new technologies, and materials offers a new way forward to make sustainability not only economically viable but helping in giving an edge over competitors.
Smart charging & energy efficiency
With the replacement of petrol- and diesel-powered motors for electric alternatives, businesses are removing harmful pollutants from their operations, but without careful consideration of the degradation of the battery, there is the potential to still be generating harmful waste. Through our experience with battery maintenance, having the correct charging programme can extend the life of lithium-ion batteries by an extra two years. Not only is this financially beneficial, reduces battery replacement and needless waste.
Packaging materials & the circular economy
With explosion of online orders, we are using more plastic packaging than every before. This obviously has major implications for the environment, with microplastics becoming worryingly more prevalent in the water and food we consume. To combat this, in 2024, the Australian government committed to new regulations that enforced new standards increasing the recyclability of all plastic packaging, incentivise companies to seek alternative forms of packaging and promoting a circular economy.
Currently, we extract raw materials, make products from them, and then throw them away as waste – the process is linear. In a circular economy, by contrast, we stop waste being produced in the first place, by reducing promoting recycled materials and sustainable manufacturing practices. By using paper packaging, we reduce the amount of plastic used, replacing it with an easy-to-recycle, less toxic alternative.
Priority Integrated Systems champions the use of more environmentally conscious packaging options, with a number of suppliers available at different price points.
Predictive Maintenance and AI systems
With the advent of more capable data analytical tools, there has been a shift from preventative maintenance strategies to predictive maintenance. The basis of predictive maintenance is that it relies on the actual condition of equipment rather than the expected historical data. With the predictive method, maintenance is only carried out when there is a need, reducing equipment downtime, avoids incurring unnecessary costs, and limits the number of consumables used. By using connected sensors and analytical AI, sensitive parts can be monitored and predictions about future wear and tear can be made.
Conclusion
Using different systems and integrating them into workflows that highlight sustainability, technology offers a path to genuine improvements that’s both measurable and scalable. Together, these automation-driven approaches not only reduce environmental footprints but also bolster operational resilience, help organizations meet new regulations, and support the shift toward a more sustainable, circular, & responsible economy.