On May 31st, Tacton participated in We Don’t Have Time’s Stockholm+50 Climate Hub to discuss how configurators could be part of the solution in making manufacturing more transparent and adaptable, and what this will mean for the future of sustainable manufacturing.
Tacton’s CEO, Bo Gyldenvang, opened the broadcast by explaining the problem and what we want to do to solve it. “Manufacturing industry is the foundation of today’s societies. But that’s not how most people think about it since it’s detached from ordinary life for many. The manufacturing industry accounts for about 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, i.e. climate impact.”, he stated. In other words, this is a source of emissions that aren’t immediately visible to customers.
“Our goal is to enable manufacturers to build more sustainable products and, in turn, more sustainable societies.” ~ Bo Gyldenvang, CEO, Tacton. Photo by We Don't Have Time
The purpose of a configurator is to close that gap between industrial manufacturers and their buyers. At Tacton, we are looking to use that position to enable manufacturers to shape and build the future. We can show a buyer the different components of the configuration of an industrial product, like a car, a factory machine, an elevator, etc. But we can also show the cost differences between different components, both financially but also their lifecycle environmental impact. In other words, we can help manufacturers show the benefits of using their more sustainable components, and buyers can instantly see how a product would affect their environmental goals.
This will work like an ecolabel of sorts, buyers will be able to make an informed decision based on what they see. And they will demand to have that decision, which will make it even more attractive to manufacture more sustainably. And this is how we can drive change forward.
Tacton's panel on the role of configurators in sustainable manufacturing at the Stockholm+50 Climate Hub. Photo by We Don't Have Time
The panel of the broadcast agreed with Bo - configurator is an essential part of how the manufacturing industry will develop going forward. ”I think the [configurator] system can articulate - at the right point in time - environmental features and the difference between two very similar configurations.” says Madeleine Bergrahm, Sustainability Manager at Tacton.
Irene Campo-Gay, PhD student at the Technical University of Denmark, finds that configurators can help meet new buyer demands: “Through these kinds of tool, we can make this sustainability information available to the customers, and it’s what they are demanding. In my opinion, this new demand on getting new assessment tools are in order to reach these new objectives towards sustainable regulations. We need some kind of assessment tools, such as configurators, to guide us in this.”
Configurators are also important in providing transparency towards the buyers in terms of the carbon footprint of products. Ksenija Garbacenka, Group Sustainability Manager at Plus Pack says that “Not everyone is comfortable with showing the real emissions in the raw materials, but we just need to do that.” “Customers are asking for the specific numbers, not only on already produced items but also on what they are going to order.”
If you want to watch the whole recorded session and learn more about Tacton’s work with sustainability, please visit tacton.com/sustainability. We see it clear - buyers are requesting more transparency and more sustainable manufacturing, and we need to provide this quickly. Using digital tools is imperative to reach those goals. What do you think?
https://www.tacton.com/about/sustainability/
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57 w
An intriguing topic definitely a game changer if and when the manufacturing process is transparent and hence sustainable
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97 w
very interesting and important subject
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95 w
@marine_stephan thanks for sharing!
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98 w
Thank you for your work! Amazing!
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95 w
@Bo thanks!
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98 w
This was informative and I believe organizations should adapt to sustainable manufacturing
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95 w
@edwin_wangombe thanks for sharing!
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98 w
A very interesting discussion on an overlooked topic, thanks for taking part!
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98 w
This was very informative on how your work can help manufacturers communicate their sustainability work. A very important solution!