Fraunhofer-Institut für Produktionsanlagen und Konstruktionstechnik IPK

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Multi-perspective modelling of sustainability aspects within the industrial environment and their implication on the simulation technique

( 2011)
Rabe, M.
;
Jochem, R.
;
Weinaug, H.

Modelling is a broadly accepted analytic instrument and planning tool. Today, modelling is mainly applied for engineering and physics purposes and covers a short time horizon when compared to intergenerational justice. In parallel, sustainability is gaining increased importance for the industrial planning, because themes like global warming, child labour, and compliance with social and environmental standards have to be taken into account. Sustainability is characterized by comprehensively examining the three dimensions of economic, environmental, and social questions as well as their long-term perspective. Adequate indicators and an adaptation of modelling and simulation methods and procedures are necessary to evaluate the sustainability of industrial processes. A further challenge is the consideration of sustainability effects coming from the usual manufacturing process structure of a value creation network, in particular from cross-company cooperation and geographically distributed production. This article analyses the implications of those advanced tasks on the simulation technique and its application and proposes a conceptual framework for the modelling and simulation of such networks, which differentiates the effects of sustainability by the level of decision-making within enterprises.