Production system design to achieve energy savings in an automotive paint shop

Vehicle painting typically consumes the largest amount of energy in an automotive assembly plant. Effective reduction of energy usage in paint shops will lead to significant savings. Substantial effort has been devoted to reducing energy usage in paint shops through renovating the painting process and equipment. In this paper, we introduce a case study at an automotive paint shop to show that the energy consumption can be reduced significantly through production system design. Specifically, by selecting the appropriate repair capacity, the number of repainted jobs can be reduced, and less material and energy will be consumed. In addition, less atmospheric emissions would be generated during the painting process. Such a technique does not need to invent new chemicals, new painting processes or new control systems in painting booths and ovens. It provides an alternative way for energy and emission reduction to achieve energy-efficient and environmentally friendly manufacturing.