Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre
Revolutionising energy management and unleashing the power of interactive dashboards
Revolutionising energy management and unleashing the power of interactive dashboards.
Ryan Diver
Director of data at the University of Sheffield AMRC
This project was a true meeting of minds. By collaborating with Razor, we didn't just solve a technical challenge; we unlocked a new way of thinking. They helped us bridge the gap between ambitious sustainability goals and the interactive tools needed to make them a reality.
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The Friction: When Ambition Meets ‘Ancient Hieroglyphics’
You can’t change what you can’t understand. The AMRC needed to turn opaque data into a transparent movement.
Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword; for the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), it is a critical operational mandate. The challenge was massive in every sense of the word: the AMRC was consuming a staggering twelve megawatts per hour across their dispersed sites.
The will to change was there. The team wanted to slash energy consumption and cultivate a genuine, eco-friendly culture that inspired staff to care about their carbon footprint.
And they actually had the raw materials to do it. Their existing energy management system was packed with ‘juicy data’ regarding their usage. But there was a problem. This system was a treasure chest locked inside a riddle. It was complex, user-unfriendly, and bamboozling, effectively asking eager employees to decipher ancient hieroglyphics just to do their part.
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The Spark: Turning Spreadsheets into Wonderlands
Enter Razor. We didn't just come to write code; we teamed up with the AMRC for a mega project to shake up how they tame their energy game.
We kicked off with a discovery workshop to define a new digital reality. The goal? To build a sustainable digital wonderland, an interactive ecosystem where energy data wasn't just visible, but accessible and downright cool.
We attacked the problem on three distinct fronts:
1. The ‘Dazzling’ Dashboards. We moved away from the mass of complicated spreadsheets. We built a set of interactive dashboards that democratised data. Now, any employee can easily view total energy consumption across all AMRC sites, drill down to a specific office, or even look at a single asset. We made the invisible, visible.
2. The Sustainability Report Marvel. Previously, project proposals required a sustainability report to score alignment with global goals, but this lived in disparate spreadsheets. Razor transformed this into a centralised data hub - a ‘superhero squad of data’. This tool seamlessly integrates with project management, measuring impact on carbon footprints, circular economy practices, and societal goals.
3. The Net Zero Value Search. The team needed a ‘magical search button’ to find Net Zero info hidden across their digital universe. We delivered a search function that pulls data from the Intranet, Wikis, SharePoint, and Drive. It’s a beacon ensuring instant access to critical information, keeping everyone in the loop.
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The Result: A Legacy of Sustainability
The transformation has been total. Razor’s ‘tech magic’ didn't just solve a technical problem; it unravelled the AMRC’s challenges and sculpted a Net Zero legacy.
Simplified Access: We stripped away the complexity, making data user-friendly and accessible.
Culture Shift: By visualising the journey to Net Zero, we helped inspire a culture of sustainability.
Strategic Alignment: The new reporting tools are a clear indicator of how every potential project aligns with the AMRC’s global sustainability goals.
This is more than a project; it is a journey to a sustainable future. With Razor and the AMRC, green is the new black, and energy awareness is the hottest trend in town.
