Energy consumption modeling and analyses in automotive manufacturing final assembly process

As an important part of a sustainability strategy, energy usage in an automotive manufacturing plant is an important topic that has recently gained significant attention. Researchers mostly focus on energy conservation through increasing the efficiency of such facilities, optimizing energy supplies, and scheduling efficient production sequences. However, attention is seldom focused on holistic energy modeling at the level of process assembly lines. In this study, the problem of energy consumption during the automotive vehicle final assembly (FA) process is discussed. An energy classification in the final assembly department is generated to give more transparent understanding of the energy consumption in each category. Typical energy models of every energy category are presented to demonstrate the potential energy savings through a combined approach. Finally, considering the current status of most manufacturing plant metering systems, a three-level metering system is proposed to support the hybrid (i.e., discrete and continuous, deterministic and stochastic) modeling approach.