The manufacturing sector depends mainly on the foundation industries which have a major contribution to the country's economy. These foundation industries include glass, metals, ceramics, cement, paper and chemical sectors that support the demands of our modern lives. On the other hand, these industries are energy intensive. Energy requirements in foundation industries can be improved by benchmarking and comparing the actual energy consumption of individual processes with their theoretical minimum value. In this study, an energy taxonomy approach has been used to identify the elements responsible for energy consumption in the granulation process. Bond's law has been used to calculate the theoretical minimum energy consumption of one such individual process i.e., granulation -A common process among the foundation industries which accounts for an average of 50% of the total energy consumption. A framework has also been developed that can be used by foundation industries to benchmark their energy efficiency and that provides an insight into the practical and theoretical potential for reducing their energy requirements.

The ceramic manufacturing process has been subject to many advances with the evolution of new technologies. However, there are still some delays and losses in the fundamental process which may be mitigated by deploying alternative technical tools and methods . One such stage is the sensitive pre-drying phase in which ceramic bodies can sustain drying defects such as microcracking and fractures due to lack of fine process control. This project investigates the feasibility of using Longwave infrared (LWIR) radiation emitted by a printed Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene (CNTG) heater for pre-drying a clay sample. The CNTG heater emits infrared radiation with a relatively low DC voltage power supply. By radiant heat transfer, homogeneous and uniform drying has been observed in the sample. The penetrative capability of the infrared energy which warms the inside of the sample is presented, as along with the results of comparing the CNTG heater with a Silicon mat heater that also emits infrared radiation. The study establishes that the CNTG heater is not only capable of reducing the lead time of ceramics drying using penetrative IR, but also as an efficient and versatile option that can be economically deployed in the pre-drying stage of a ceramic manufacturing process.

Sustainable manufacturing has grown into a major subject of discussion between individuals and organisations around the world. This is attributed to the recognition of the urgency in advancing sustainable manufacturing due to the diminishing non-renewable resources, stricter regulations related to environmental impacts and the increasing consumer preference for environmental-friendly products. However, manufacturing companies have been confronted with a decision on which KPIs to select for appraising their processes, and how they should interpret these KPIs in transforming their processes towards a sustainable future. This paper presents a structured framework for the manufacturing industries to identify the right environmental KPIs. It includes building a database for environmental KPIs, categorising, ranking, and composing a final KPI set for specified targets. The developed method allows for the selection of the most effective KPI in representing a specified target as well as identifying unmonitored environmental aspects. The framework has been corroborated by subject matter and industry experts in which the potential benefits have been verified.