Climate protection does not start with new technologies, but with better use of existing ones. There is huge potential hidden in Europe's industry: machines, systems and processes that could already save energy today if they were intelligently controlled.
Automation has long been more than just productivity. It is the decisive lever for reducing energy consumption, CO₂ emissions and the waste of resources. And thus a silent but measurable contribution to climate protection.
Political framework: Efficiency as Europe's climate compass
With the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), the European Union has committed to reducing energy consumption by 11.7% by 2030 compared to 2020. The Green Deal goes even further: Europe is to become climate-neutral by 2050. These targets are ambitious and cannot be achieved without automation.
According to the EU Commission, energy consumption would be 27% higher today if no efficiency and automation technologies were in use. In other words: every control, every sensor, every algorithm saves energy and CO₂.
How and where automation works today
Automation translates observation into action. Sensors detect when machines are running idle. Control algorithms switch systems off when there is no load. Predictive maintenance ensures that components are replaced before they become inefficient.
The results are tangible: According to the industry association ZVEI, process automation can save 10-25% energy in machines and systems. Studies by the Fraunhofer IPA confirm this: Automation not only reduces consumption, but also stabilizes grids and reduces peak loads. This is crucial for a sustainable energy supply.
This development is also becoming increasingly tangible in specific company examples that show how automation works in practice. From building management to production, from small adjustments to systemic upheavals:
Schneider Electric, France: at the "Le Hive" headquarters, the entire building technology has been automated, from lighting and heating to ventilation and energy distribution. Sensors regulate the climate on a room-by-room basis, consumption data is analyzed centrally and optimizations are implemented automatically. The result: between 2009 and 2021, energy consumption fell by 41% and CO₂ emissions by 88%. The ROI was less than five years. For entrepreneurs, this example shows that efficiency starts with the details and pays off measurably.
MIPU, Italy: In a metalworking factory, an existing production line was retrofitted with sensors, intelligent monitoring and control algorithms. The system recognizes idle times and automatically switches off motors when there is no load. Energy consumption fell by 11% without investing in new machines. This is a typical lever for medium-sized companies: retrofitting instead of new construction, small interventions with a big impact.
Industrial company, Sweden: A Europe-wide study describes how digitally networked production optimizes entire plants in the long term. Sensors and machine learning models analyze temperature, running times and load distribution. Energy savings of 5-10% were achieved in the first year and up to 60% over several years. Entrepreneurs recognize that the greatest leverage is created when systems talk to each other and not when they work side by side.
These figures represent a simple truth: automation is not a theoretical contribution to climate protection. It has an immediate, measurable and scalable effect.
When climate protection pays off
Energy is no longer just an environmental issue, but also a cost factor. In times of volatile prices, energy consumption can determine competitiveness. Companies with digitally controlled production are less susceptible to price fluctuations and CO₂ levies.
Schneider Electric shows: What is efficient is also profitable. SMEs benefit in particular because they have processes that have often hardly been changed for years. Even small automation steps have a double effect here: they reduce costs and CO₂ at the same time.
The EU supports efficiency measures through programs such as "Fit for 55" and national energy efficiency funding. Companies that invest in automation benefit from tax breaks and CO₂ credits. At the same time, CO₂ certificates make inefficient processes more expensive. The result: those who digitize not only save energy, but also real costs. The economic logic is shifting from short-term investment to long-term operational efficiency.
SMEs as a key factor
Automation is not a question of new machines, but of smarter control. Many of the biggest levers lie in existing equipment. Retrofit solutions allow existing systems to be retrofitted with sensors, control systems and data interfaces. In this way, small and medium-sized enterprises can also become part of the climate protection architecture.
Only 18% of European SMEs currently make systematic use of data analysis. This is precisely where the potential lies. Anyone who starts to make energy flows transparent will immediately discover savings reserves ranging from idle times and inefficient compressed air systems to unused night loads.
VION also sees automation as a strategic tool: not just for controlling, but for relieving. The platform combines sensor technology, control systems and reporting into a whole. Operators can see in real time where energy is being lost - and can react automatically before it becomes expensive.
Automation is therefore not an end in itself, but an attitude. It stands for responsibility in the machine room - and for the realization that sustainability is not just a goal, but system performance.
From operation to the network
Automation does not end at the factory door. Intelligent control systems and networked systems have long contributed to the stability of the entire energy system and show how technical intelligence can be economically effective.
In Denmark, wind farms are automatically synchronized with large industrial consumers. If too much wind power is generated, energy-intensive processes such as cold stores or production facilities that store heat are started automatically. In this way, surplus energy is used instead of being curtailed and the grid remains stable.
BASF in Ludwigshafen also shows how automation works on a large scale. The plant operates an internal smart grid with thousands of sensors that monitors energy flows, steam and waste heat in real time. If energy demand increases in one part of the plant, another area automatically reduces its consumption. This saves several million kilowatt hours a year and prevents CO₂-intensive peak loads.
These examples illustrate what automation essentially means: systems that react independently before energy is wasted. It is not just an efficiency measure, but becomes the backbone of a stable, low-emission energy system.
When machines learn to think efficiently
The next generation of automation is adaptive. AI-supported systems such as ABB Ability™ Energy Management, Siemens Industrial Edge or Schneider Electric EcoStruxure™ are constantly analysing data to dynamically optimize systems. In a Siemens pilot project in Austria, specifically at the Amberg plant, where industrial control systems and electronic assemblies are manufactured, an existing production line was retrofitted with an intelligent control system. Sensors recorded temperature, motor load and pressure in real time. The software learned from this data when presses, milling machines and assembly units could be throttled back or switched off without affecting the production flow. This reduced energy consumption by up to 18% without any new hardware. A pure software upgrade with an immediate ROI.
SKF's Gothenburg plant in Sweden, where bearings and precision components for industrial applications are manufactured, also demonstrates how learning systems work in practice: There, the company uses machine learning models to continuously adjust motor loads and torques. The system monitors machine tools, rolling mills and spindle drives, recognizes when motors are running inefficiently or indicate wear and automatically compensates for loads. The result: lower CO₂ emissions, longer maintenance intervals and less downtime - a direct benefit for operations and the environment. Such systems turn automation into a learning process: the longer they run, the more sustainable the operation becomes.
SMEs & reality: between inertia and transformation
Many SMEs know that they should act, but do not do so. According to Bitkom, 47% of companies state that they avoid digitalization projects due to previous bad experiences: too expensive, too complicated, too little benefit. It is often not a lack of money, but a lack of confidence that the effort is worthwhile. Added to this are a lack of specialists and overstretched IT structures.
This is where the real challenge and opportunity lies. Platforms such as VION offer a different approach: low-threshold integration, retrofitting instead of complete conversion, clear economic benefit calculation. Automation is thus transformed from a major project into a pragmatic solution that has an immediate impact. Once you see how energy flows become visible in real time, you experience digitalization as a relief, not a burden.
Conclusion: automation is a tool for European development
Automation is not just a real business advantage. It strengthens Europe's energy independence. Every intelligent system reduces consumption, stabilizes grids and lowers import dependencies. Efficiency thus becomes a security strategy - it makes Europe more resilient to energy crises and geopolitical shocks.
Automation is not just a technical innovation, but an expression of a new industrial culture. Europe shows that progress does not lie in speed, but in awareness: technology serves when it carries responsibility. What used to be control is now responsibility. And what used to mean effort is now the basis for sustainable competitiveness.
