Sustain to gain 30 www.aftermarketonline.net DECEMBER/JANUARY 2026 Developing sustainable approaches to the manufacture of vehicle parts In a UK-first for the automotive supply chain, a Midlands business school is teaming up with a local manufacturer to calculate and report the carbon cost of every metal component used in car production. The partnership between Birmingham’s Aston Business School and Metal Assemblies of West Bromwich aims to tackle one of the industry’s biggest sustainability challenges. It is hoped the knowledge transfer partnership (KTP), funded by Innovate UK, will transform how vehicle parts are made and regulated, setting a new standard for transparency and low-carbon manufacturing across Europe. Metal Assemblies produces a wide range of machined metal components and welded assemblies, supplying Toyota, BMW and Nissan, among other manufacturers across the UK and Europe. New environmental regulations, such as the EU carbon border adjustment mechanism, now require detailed data on the carbon cost of each vehicle component and place tariffs on carbon intensive goods. Developing more sustainable approaches to the manufacture of vehicle parts will help the sector limit these tariffs and support decarbonise in the sector. Through the three-year KTP, Metal Assemblies is gaining access to specialist data and operations expertise. The project will design and integrate an innovative approach to energy efficiency across the company’s entire manufacturing process — supercharging its plans to be the first in the sector to offer detailed carbon cost information. The project will collect and analyse data on energy consumption at Metal Assemblies based on a product life-cycle analysis and create a sustainable manufacturing strategy for the company. This will allow it to better market different products and processes based on their carbon content and possible tradeof fs. The team will also use a concept called ‘sustainability fitness, developed by Aston University academics, to measure how healthy and sustainable the company is. Using this approach, the project team expects to identify the most urgent and cost-effective improvements while making sure the company stays competitive and meets regulations. The project builds on a previous digital transformation KTP between the two partners to design and embed automated ‘Industry 4.0’ manufacturing processes across Metal Assemblies. Iain Collis, CEO of Metal Assemblies, said: “There isn’t yet a structured, robust approach in the automotive supply chain for measuring the carbon cost of parts and reporting this up the chain to customers. “By working with Aston Business School to develop a systematic method for assessing environmental impact, we’ll be transforming this end of the supply chain in ways that provide value to our customers while differentiating ourselves from our competitors.” Breno Nunes, reader in sustainability operations management at Aston Business School, said: “Through the corporate sustainability fitness model, we’ll be providing Metal Assemblies with a visual dashboard that clearly shows the company’s sustainability performance, trade-offs of each potential shift in their strategy, and a clear direction to take for a more sustainable future.” Peter Douglas (left), commercial general manager at Metal Assemblies and Ronnie Akumu, KTP associate Partnership targets car parts sustainability
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