Towards Manufacturing System Sustainability Assessment: An Initial Tool and Development Plans

This paper focuses on sustainable manufacturing and is based on a research project that aims to assist in realizing competitive and sustainable manufacturing networks. In considering sustainability, environmental, social, economical, political and technological aspects are covered. A toolset for designing and implementing competitive and sustainable manufacturing networks that consists of a general level assessment and development tool and digital manufacturing solutions, e.g., simulation, is pursued. In this paper, an overview of the research project is provided, and then the focus turns to the general level tool for realizing sustainable manufacturing networks. Use and further development of TUTKA, a production system assessment tool that is based on best practices of lean and agile manufacturing, is proposed. An overview of the tool is presented, and its usefulness in assessing manufacturing system sustainability and the need for further development are considered by linking the tool to aspects of sustainability.

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