Illustration Of The Need For A Synergetic Factory Planning For Sustainable Factory Operations

The topic of sustainability has established itself as a global megatrend and requires comprehensive rethinking and action due to challenges such as climate change and resource scarcity. Companies are under increasing pressure from regulations and market demands from consumers. Manufacturing companies, in particular, are affected by these challenges. Factory planning offers a critical starting point, as it plays a decisive role in determining the sustainability of factory operations over the life cycle. Factory planning offers manufacturing companies a good starting point for implementing sustainable practices since their resources are often limited. However, there is often a lack of transparency about the early planning phases in which decisions can be made, leading to increased sustainability during operations. This article aims to explain the requirements for such a factory planning process and provide an outlook on a possible solution to develop a process model for sustainable factory planning.