1. Special brief
Canadian Climate Change
and Productivity Go Hand-in-Hand
What has been missing in most industry implemented advanced
strategies addressing global warming is information processing and process
recognition that climate change is not an automation technologies to improve
isolated issue. Climate change is productivity, there were also gains in
closely linked to other national energy efficiency. Advanced
concerns. For example, answers to information and automation
climate change (the environment) go technologies foster development of
hand-in-hand with answers to poor Industries of the Future (IOF) -
productivity (competitiveness), and there industries which have higher
are opportunities to address productivity productivity and higher energy
while addressing climate change. The efficiency.
solution is based on automation of
energy intensive industrial processes Advanced information technology
using advanced information systems can improve productivity and
technologies and computers. reduce energy use in energy intensive
operations through better control and
In simple terms, a large part of the scheduling of production and through
solution to both problems (climate reduction of work disruptions. We
change and poor productivity) rests with analyzed over 300 applications of
improving the operations and processes advanced IT in heavy industry and
in business and industry. For example, identified many potential energy
increased productivity (reduced waste) efficiency measures such reducing
will result in an indirect reduction of energy waste by stabilizing combustion
energy use per unit of product made and processes, optimizing energy use by
vice versa. REDUCT studies for better responding to operating changes,
Natural Resources Canada showed that reducing peak and average processing
in over 30 percent of cases where temperatures, controlling heat more
© REDUCT & Lobbe Technologies 2006

2. consistently, and reducing peak carbon dioxide emissions at a cost of less
demand for electricity. than $10 per tonne, and when you factor in
productivity gains, the cost comes to just a
Our review of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) few dollars per tonne. A few dollars per ton
emissions for Saskatchewan showed that is much less than the $25 to $30 cost per ton
automation of industrial process heat of purchasing CO 2 emission credits or the
systems has the potential to reduce these $30+ cost per ton to capture and dispose of
systems’ energy use by 7 percent and their carbon dioxide emissions.
carbon dioxide emissions by 4 percent. A
similar analysis of the commercial sector Applications of advanced automation
showed a 1.3 percent reduction in energy and information technologies are not
use, which would be equivalent to a 3 restricted to any one industry or business
percent reduction in the sector’s carbon sector and, therefore, the benefits can be
dioxide emissions. expected to be broad. For most application
areas, the Industries of the Future
These findings were confirmed by a US technologies are here today ready to offer
Department of Energy special study which practical and attractive solutions to climate
showed that if energy-intensive American change and productivity. What is needed is
industries were to adopt advances in an equal treatment of the IOF technologies
automation, industrial controls, information vis-à-vis other green power and alternative
processing and robotic technologies, they fuels projects.
could realize an energy saving of up to 10
percent. In USA this represents 1.7 to 2.0 For further information you can contact:
quadrillion BTUs of energy saved every
Dr. Adam J. Szladow, President
year. REDUCT & Lobbe Technologies
P.O. Box 800, 186-8120 No. 2 RD
For Canadian heavy industry, the Richmond, BC, Canada V7C 5J8
application of advanced automation and tell: (604) 275-
information (IOF) technologies would 3711; dispatch@reduct.com; www.reduct.com
represent a reduction in energy use of over
REDUCT & Lobbe Technologies is a technology and technical
70 trillion BTUs, which is equivalent to a services company specializing in the application of advanced
CO 2 reduction of 15 to 20 mega tonnes per energy and automation technologies in business and industry.
year. If you include the energy and power We pioneered the concept of Process Intelligence, a
comprehensive approach to optimization of business and
generation sectors, the total reduction in industrial processes using sophisticated information technologies.
CO 2 emissions would be over 1/10 of all REDUCT has helped business and industry to apply innovative
greenhouse gases reduction required. And methods to solve complex problems since 1986, and our clients
range from small firms to large, multi-national organizations.
you get a bonus: higher productivity and a
higher standard of living for all Canadians. Dr. Szladow is a member of Microsoft Research Panel, member
of AICHE, Board Member of Professional Association for SQL
Our field demonstrations of advanced Server (Vancouver); a past member of the Minister’s National
Advisory Committee to CANMET, NRCan, Chairman of the
information systems in the pulp and paper, Business Committee of the National Advisory Council to
power generation and other industrial CANMET, NRCan, Vice-Chairman, Research Committee on
sectors showed that it is possible to reduce corrosion and Deposition from Combustion Gases, ASME.
© REDUCT & Lobbe Technologies 2006