A holistic and rapid sustainability assessment tool for manufacturing SMEs

Chen, Danfang; Thiede, Sebastian; Schudeleit, Timo; Herrmann, Christoph

doi:10.1016/j.cirp.2014.03.113

Cited by 73 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Although the model is limited to factory level and environmental issues, this particular approach allows identification of improvements through a structured sustainability assessment. Chen et al [11] proposed an approach to the development of a sustainability assessment model that can provide decision support for improvements. The model is built upon three modules-sustainability framework, factory model, and indicator framework-which are connected through connection matrices.…”

Section: Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the growing interest in application of sustainability assessment in the manufacturing and a great number of developed assessment tools (e.g., [8][9][10][11][12]), only few of them have been used by manufacturing companies. One of the reasons is that sustainability assessment tools may appear too theoretical and abstract [9,13], or too technical and complicated for manufacturing companies [14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Development of Manufacturing Sustainability Assessment Using Systems Thinking

Moldavska

Welo

2015

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract:The existing body of knowledge in sustainability assessment of manufacturing indicates that although extensive research is going on, significant shortcomings remain unsolved. In this paper, the specific needs of a new sustainability assessment system are discussed. Systems thinking is suggested as an alternative to the reductionist approach which is commonly applied to sustainability assessment. Although previous research has recognized the potential of systems thinking applied to sustainability assessment, few practical examples have been demonstrated. Therefore, this article focuses on a practical application of systems thinking to the development of a sustainability assessment system of a manufacturing organization. A framework for development is proposed employing systems thinking. It is suggested that systems thinking reveals several aspects usually not addressed by the reductionist approaches. It is demonstrated that a combination of tools like analysis of multiple viewpoints, conceptagon, seven samurai, and model-based systems engineering can enhance a development of a suitable assessment systems.

show abstract

Section: Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of Manufacturing Sustainability Assessment Using Systems Thinking

Moldavska

Welo

2015

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is particularly relevant as SMEs are responsible for about 64% of industrial environmental impact [14]. Third, there is a great deal of ambiguity concerning SMEs' knowledge of the best ways for sustainable improvement which is accompanied with a shortage of capital, personnel and other resources [15]. Fourth, prior research on the key factors and operational outcomes of SM in SMEs in Romania barely exists.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Competitive Capabilities on Sustainable Manufacturing Applications in Romanian SMEs from the Textile Industry

Ceptureanu

Bologa

et al. 2018

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper examines the impact of competitive capabilities on sustainable manufacturing practices in Romanian small and medium-sized enterprises from the textile industry. We developed an econometric model based on previous research conducted by prestigious specialists and validated on a survey data from 221 Romanian small and medium enterprises from the textile industry. Our article proposes a number of implications to encourage entrepreneurs and managers from textile industry to engage in pro-environmental behaviour.

show abstract

“…Therefore, resource analysis techniques should be able to account for such exchanges between resources of varied nature, allowing a holistic assessment of the manufacturing environment. A clear need to understand multiple resources concurrently, on a common scale, has been identified by researchers over the past decade [1][2][3]. This holistic perspective of the factory is underpinned by the premise that its components interact dynamically.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource accounting in factories and the energy-water nexus

Khattak

Greenough

2017

Int J Adv Manuf Technol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A manufacturing system comprises production processes and building services, both of which are supplied by different energy carriers as well as raw materials and water. These resources interact according to complex relationships and are converted into products for sale and waste flows. Holistic resource accounting allows the analyst to consider the dynamic relationships between these components, including the strong interdependence between energy and water, which has been called the energy-water nexus. Exergy analysis is a method that accounts for mass and both the quantity and quality of energy, while allowing analysis on a common basis, and for this reason, it is used increasingly to analyse resource consumption in manufacturing systems; however, it has rarely been used to consider water flows alongside energy and material flows. The main contribution of this paper is the presentation of modelling water flows in terms of exergy in the context of sustainable manufacturing. Using this technique in combination with previously developed exergy-based methods, the result is a truly holistic resource accounting method for factories based on exergy analysis that incorporates water flows. The method is illustrated using a case study of a food factory in which a 4.1% reduction in resource use is shown to be possible by employing anaerobic digester in an effluent water treatment process. The benefits of this technology option would have been underestimated compared to the benefits of waste heat capture if an analysis based on mass and energy balances alone had been used. The scientific value of this paper is the demonstration of the relatively high exergy content of effluent flows, which should therefore be regarded as potentially valuable resources. The analytical method presented is therefore of value to a wide range of industries beyond the food industry.

show abstract

A holistic and rapid sustainability assessment tool for manufacturing SMEs

Cited by 73 publications

References 8 publications

Development of Manufacturing Sustainability Assessment Using Systems Thinking

Development of Manufacturing Sustainability Assessment Using Systems Thinking

Impact of Competitive Capabilities on Sustainable Manufacturing Applications in Romanian SMEs from the Textile Industry

Resource accounting in factories and the energy-water nexus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About