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9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 NOVEMBER 2024 NEWS How AIR SAVE is driving the next wave of smart and sustainable manufacturing IT is estimated that the local manufacturing industry wastes 17 million kWh/year worth of elec- tricity to compensate for pneu- matic leakages – an inefficiency that generates 7,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, i.e. the footprint of a solar farm twice the size of the Imselliet Solar Farm in Mgarr, Malta. The need to offset the high an- nual energy consumption and carbon footprint of compressed air systems, one of the goals of Malta's Low Carbon Develop- ment Strategy, was addressed by a team of researchers working on the Project AIR SAVE, 'Develop- ment and Analysis of an IndustRy 4.0 System to Autonomously Im- proVE the Sustainability of Pneu- matics'. The AIR SAVE team, in fact, developed, produced, and tested a smart system that monitors the environmental and financial per- formance of pneumatic systems. This research project advanced its Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from 4 to 7, by conducting testing at both the University of Malta Labs, as well as testing in an operational industrial envi- ronment. This involved two case studies at two Maltese manufac- turing sites; TOLY Products and Methode Electronics Ltd. Within these scenarios AIR SAVE successfully characterised faults by locating and quantifying common compressed air faults, such as leaks. This was achieved through data analysis using var- ious parametric features and the adaptation of high-performance Machine Learning (ML) algo- rithms. The team also developed an op- timisation and control approach aimed at improving pneumatic systems under faulty conditions. This approach provides ideal con- trol strategies which balance both financial and environmental con- siderations. By managing certain compressed air parameters such as pressure and air flow, industry can maintain productivity whilst minimising energy consumption. An event was held on Thursday 14th November 2024 at the En- gineering Research and Innova- tion Labs, within the UM's Msida Campus, featuring the contrib- uting academics (Prof. Ing. Paul Refalo and Prof. Ing. Emmanuel Francalanza from the Depart- ment of Industrial and Manufac- turing Engineering and Dr Peter Xuereb from the Department of Computer Information Systems) and two Research Support Of- ficers (RSOs), Massimo Borg and Jasmine Mallia. Both RSOs have chosen to pursue their studies at doctoral level, related to the smart and sustainable systems devel- oped through the project. Additionally, the project spon- sored a scholarship for a Masters by Research student, Jurgen Aq- uilina, from the Department of Computer Information Systems, who also presented his contri- butions during the event. In to- tal, this research supported eight Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) students in their final year pro- jects, three Masters by Research and two PhD students at the De- partment of Industrial and Manu- facturing Engineering of the Uni- versity of Malta. The findings of the research pro- ject are presented in 10 peer-re- viewed papers which were pub- lished in open-access journals and conference proceedings. A PCT patent application covering the developed system 'Improvements in or relating to the sustainability of pressurised fluid systems' was also filed. Prof Ing. Paul Refalo, AIR SAVE principal investigator and associ- ate professor at the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering of the University of Malta, referred to the project's success in developing a system which addresses Sustainable Development Goals, specifical- ly SDG 9 (Build resilient infra- structure, promote inclusive anda sustainable industrialization and foster innovation) and SDG 12, (Ensure Sustainable Consump- tion and Production Patterns). UM's Pro-Rector for Strategic Planning & Sustainability, Prof. Valerie Sollars , spoke about UM's drive towards sustainability in its Programmes of Studies, research, and operations on campus. Also in attendance was Ing. Alex Tanti, a Policy Consultant at the Min- istry for the Environment, Ener- gy and the Regeneration of the Grand Harbour, who spoke about the government's ambitions and policies related to energy efficien- cy and renewable energy in Malta. Ylenia Grech Mifsud, Chief Operations Officer of AIM En- terprises, the industrial partner in this project, emphasised the importance of industry-aca- demia collaboration and how the company now intends to take the developed system to the market. Other speakers included Dr Christian Bonnici, Director of the Research Support Services Direc- torate at UM, Inġ. Charles Butti- gieg, Chief Policy Officer at The Energy and Water Agency and Dr Alessandra Loria, Executive (R&I Programmes) at Xjenza Malta. The project was funded by the 'R&I Fusion - Technology Devel- opment Programme' of Xjenza Malta. DURING the third quarter of 2024, seasonally adjusted indus- trial turnover decreased by 2.5 per cent over the previous quarter. Decreases were recorded in the intermediate goods (9.6 per cent) and in the capital goods (1.1 per cent). On the other hand, increases were registered in energy (3.0 per cent) and consumer goods (2.4 per cent). When compared to Q2 2024, seasonally adjusted industrial employment, industrial hours worked and industrial gross wages and salaries increased by 0.5 per cent, 1.6 per cent and 0.4 per cent, respectively. When compared to the corre- sponding quarter of 2023, work- ing-day adjusted industrial turn- over increased by 3.3 per cent. The highest increase was reg- istered in the consumer goods (17.7 per cent), followed by en- ergy (6.5 per cent) and capital goods (3.5 per cent). On the contrary, intermediate goods dropped by 13.4 per cent. An increase of 1.7 per cent was recorded in the year-on-year un- adjusted industrial employment. Working-day adjusted indus- trial hours worked increased by 2.3 per cent and industrial gross wages and salaries went up by 6.2 per cent. Industrial turnover in third quarter of 2024 down by 2.5 per cent