A kilometre of communications cable

The basis of property automation and energy optimisation is automatic measurement. The more measurement points you have, the more precisely you can optimise energy use.
In 2022, industrial electrician Gustav Kjellin began gathering informa- tion about the climate system, ventilation, and heating system of the Gnosjö Automatsvarvning factory. IAAB, which specialises in automation control and regulation equipment for the metal industry, was chosen as a partner. Gnosjö Automatsvarvning is working with the idea and hardware, while IAAB is responsible for the software and code. Automation has come a long way since 2022.
“In 2023, we laid around a kilo- metre of network cable to get computers, measurement points, and programs to talk to each other and the system’s main computer,” says Gustav.
So far, 70 measurement points have been set and there’s likely
to be more to come. The HMI – the interface that displays data and makes it possible to interact with the system – is undergoing functional testing. As soon as it’s complete, we’ll be able to measure and see differences in energy consumption across different time periods. The factory’s compres- sors, for example, are something we’ll be able to measure.
“We know that leaking com- pressed air is a real waste of ener- gy. Last year we saved around SEK 200,000 by finding leaks by using an ultrasonic gun. With property automation, we’ll be able to be- come even more efficient without having to physically walk around measuring.
Even the fire hatches that function as ventilation hatches in the roof have been connected to the auto- mation system so that they don’t need to be controlled manually. The same goes for ventilation. When there’s no one in the factory, the ventilation for ensuring a good in- door climate doesn’t need to be on.
“I’ve been asked if it can just be that the last one to leave turns off the ventilation. So I asked, ‘Have you never forgotten to turn off the kitchen light at home?’ With auto- mation, it doesn’t matter if you’re forgetful.”