Chrysler 2010 Annual Report Download - page 53

REPORT ON
OPERATIONS
52
RESEARCH
AND INNOVATION
Highly energy-efficient production processes. In 2010, CRF continued with the Green Factories project.
During the year, numerous activities focused on improvements in the energy efficiency of manufacturing
processes. The most important of these projects were conducted at Fiat Group Automobiles’ Cassino
and Mirafiori plants and focused on development of kinetic energy recovery systems for industrial robots
and testing of pilot installations of highly efficient lighting systems that provide increased light levels with
reduced energy consumption. Measures to improve existing processes continued with the definition of
a methodology to reduce energy consumed by mechanical processes. This area was also addressed by
the FlexMech project, through the development of innovative down-sized, energy-saving actuators for
application on machine tools. CRF also began development of methods and tools for the classification of
industrial buildings by energy class to highlight their level of energy efficiency. In the area of environmental
and economic sustainability, CRF participated in the Industrial Advisory Group of the European Factories of
the Future initiative as team leader for development of a multi-year program on Sustainable Manufacturing,
considered of primary strategic importance for the competitiveness of European manufacturing.
Micro and nanotechnologies for plant safety. In the area of plant safety, Legislative Decree 81/2008
(health and safety in the workplace) introduced the obligation for employers to assess the risk of exposure to
artificial optical radiation (AOR) for the first time in Italy. With more than a decade of experience in assessing
display optics and new lighting sources, through its New Materials Scouting group, CRF was the first
company to begin monitoring AOR levels at FGA’s Mirafiori plant at the end of 2008 and is now the leader
in optical radiation assessment, having conducted tests at more than 15 Fiat Group plants throughout Italy.
This activity was necessary to comply with the legal obligation to assess the risk, but also contributed to a
significant reduction in the risk of exposure to potentially hazardous sources in the factory and to improving
the quality of the work environment.