{"id":639,"date":"2023-05-09T16:40:53","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T15:40:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kei-case-studies\/?p=639"},"modified":"2024-09-04T09:33:25","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T08:33:25","slug":"webcomm-driving-sustainability-in-the-manufacturing-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kei-case-studies\/2023\/05\/09\/webcomm-driving-sustainability-in-the-manufacturing-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Webcomm: driving sustainability in the manufacturing industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhat Rob and his team have done is bring credibility, experience, an existing pool of knowledge -based on fact and research-, capabilities to deliver and come forward with ideas. The reputation of the University also enables reach in regard to marketing and publicity.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Jon Barrett, Managing Director of Webcomm<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Webcomm\u2019s Jon Barrett is developing a platform to let design engineers compare the net zero and sustainability attributes of components, technologies and processes. This will help engineers reduce the environmental impact of the products they design and manufacture. He saw the University of Kent\u2019s Net Zero Deep Dive training programme as an opportunity to access the expertise Webcomm needs to make this a success.<\/p>\n

Challenge<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To develop its service, Webcomm is inviting thousands of engineering suppliers to contribute the net zero status of their products. These are early days, so many suppliers may not know the answers, nor have the means or resources to calculate them, so Webcomm will need to provide the support to incentivise them to provide an accurate estimation. Attributes range from carbon embodied during the manufacturing process to design-for-assembly and product packaging.<\/p>\n

Approach<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jon attended the Net Zero Deep Dive Training Programme hosted by the University of Kent as part of a wider Community Renewal Fund (CRF) project in partnership with the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce which aimed to help businesses meet their net zero targets. Through these workshops, Jon had the opportunity to connect with Lecturer in Chemistry and Forensic Science, Dr Rob Barker, and PhD student, Chloe Skingle, who devised a manageable approach to achieving his goals.<\/p>\n

Together, they were awarded an innovation voucher to fund Rob and his team to assist Webcomm in creating a \u2018digital wizard\u2019 which engineering suppliers can use to help them capture the net zero status of their products.<\/p>\n

Result<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Webcomm\u2019s software development team has started coding the Sustainable Engineering Project\u2019s publishing platform. This will become the first open-source, collaborative database of sustainability-positive products, materials, technologies and processes. Environmentally conscious engineers will be free to use the resource to make better informed sustainability decisions when specifying bills-of-materials for new and updated products. Technology sectors covered range from polymers and fluid power to motors and power transmission.<\/p>\n

As Jon explained, the work doesn\u2019t stop there: \u201cIt would be unfair to ask engineering companies to invest in sustainability without Webcomm making an equal commitment. Thus, the company\u2019s audacious goal is to develop the world\u2019s lowest energy publishing platform. To underpin this promise, the site will include a \u2018real-time counter\u2019 letting visitors see the live carbon footprint of each page they visit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phase one of the site will be revealed at the Electronic Component Show, Oxford, on 25 May.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sustainability agenda is the \u2018wild west\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s hard to work out who is an activist and who is a genuine player. At the end of the day, what matters is how businesses go about their daily work. Who knows what to believe, drives industry standards, and does the work \u2013 the bottom line is the University has done all of that.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n