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3D visualisation
Self-regulation
preferable to
further eco
legislation
Leading printer and copier suppliers
are extolling the benefits of
self-regulation after the imaging
industry’s Voluntary Agreement
(VA) on Ecodesign was shown to
have resulted in a 13.2% drop in
the energy consumption of printers,
copiers and MFPs in Europe within
just 10 months.
In 2011, EuroVAprint, an association
of the 16 leading imaging companies
operating in Europe, committed to a
VA as an alternative to EU eco-design
legislation. This obliges them to comply
with a set of design and information
requirements, relating to energy
consumption, recyclability and the use
of compatible cartridges.
Manufacturers also agreed to
undertake measures to encourage the
use of duplex (double-sided) and ‘N-up’
printing (several pages on one sheet) to
save paper.
EuroVAprint chairman,William
Dazy of Canon, said: “We were among
the first to opt-in for self-regulation
in Europe and the results highlight the
fact that we made the right choice:
our industry is rapidly becoming even
more environmentally friendly, it is
contributing to the energy savings
targets of the EU and is removing
administrative burdens and costs from
the national authorities. This is not
the end of the process though; we will
continue setting higher targets and
identifying new ways of achieving
concrete environmental and energy
saving targets.”
A recent impact assessment
conducted by the European Commission
found that the VA, which is backed by
the European Commission and binding
for signatories, will have been more
effective than a regulatory approach.
It estimates that over the period
2011-202, the VA will have saved more
than twice as much energy and three
times as many CO2 emissions as would
have been achieved by regulation,
whilst also saving
€
2-2.5 million in
administration costs.
Printer, copier and MFP design
changes are expected to have saved
one million tons of office paper in
the period 1990-2020 – 15-17% of
the total estimated EU office paper
consumption.
www.eurovaprint.eu
Seeing the
new kitchen in
3D made it so
much easier to
understand the
new workflow...
“
in a range of options, from Lite
to Professional, to suit the needs
of different businesses. It can be
supplemented with advice, training and
details of 60,000 energy-consuming
products from CyberPharm’s expanding
‘component’ library.
Seeing the light
G.H. Sheldon, a NorthWestern firm
of industrial bakers, is using Eco3D
visualisation and modelling software
to reduce the carbon footprint of its
outdoor lighting by 80%.
It employed the software to
visualise lighting at its two industrial
bakeries and identify where savings
could be made, and in what quantities,
over periods of one, five, ten and 20
years – taking into account accurate
sunrise and sunset times and on-going
maintenance costs.
Eco3D simulations were altered to
assess the financial and environmental
impact of alternative lighting
technologies and changes in the
position of outdoor lighting.
As a result of these exercises, G.H.
Sheldon selected new lighting systems
that are projected to cut carbon
emissions by 80%, reduce the total
cost of ownership by 50% and produce
better quality CCTV images.
CyberPharm is now collecting data
on other areas of the bakery so that
G. H. Sheldon can make on-going
improvements to its methodologies
and, when appropriate, implement new
processes and systems.
A recipe for success
Another CyberPharm customer,
the Lumière restaurant based in
Cheltenham, has used Eco3D to
increase productive workspace in its
kitchen by one third.
Before embarking on a costly refit,
it used the software to create a 3D
working model of the restaurant’s
old kitchen, including the processes
involved in making the restaurant’s
popular sea bass dish. This allowed chef
patron Jon Howe to view and confirm
timings in a way that was instantly
understandable to him.
Once satisfied that the model and
software were accurate, Lumière moved
to stage two. Thanks to the huge
database of product information built
into Eco3D, they were able to test the
efficiency of different equipment in a
range of layouts. Using the information
associated with making the sea bass
dish, Lumière worked out the most
efficient kitchen configuration and
choice of equipment and created room
for three chefs rather than just two.
For Jon, 3D simulations are far more
illuminating than spreadsheets. “Seeing
the new kitchen in 3D made it so much
easier to understand the new workflow
before the alterations took place. This
was a huge reassurance for us before
we made such a large investment, and
made it easier for the staff to return to
work and start performing at their best
from day one,” he said.
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=eAxNl2vCYA4
www.moixaenergy.com/tsb.asp
www.federalmogul.com
www.cyberpharm.co.uk
...continued
The Energy Project
created a 3D
model of Federal
Mogul’s Chapel-en-
le-Frith factory
Below left:
Preparation of
Lumière’s popular
sea bass dish in 3D.
Below right:
Lumière’s old
kitchen.