In order to provide flexibility in manufacturing many tasks are still executed manually. Tasks like assembly, cleaning, and packaging thus imply the use of workstations. Here we show the development of a method to assess energy consumption at different levels of a factory system. Exemplarily manual workstations are assessed using flexible measurement concepts. Conducting the assessment in the environment of a learning factory, energy saving potentials of up to 65 percent were identified.

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... , the findings were transferred into an interactive learning concept and a prototype workstation used in production processes for products made from CFRP was developed. We anticipate that an energy-efficient design of workstations is an example of how energy transparency in manufacturing can be increased, especially in industries that are characterized by costumer-specific, low-volume production and a high share of manual operations.