Combining Discrete Event Simulation and Material Flow Analysis based on a Component-Oriented Approach to Industrial Environmental Protection

While eco-balances and material flow networks have become common parts of Environmental Management Information Systems (EMIS) to analyse the material flows within a company, discrete event simulation has not yet been used widely in this domain. This paper argues for combining discrete event simulation with material flow analysis in order to analyse both the environmental and economic impact of business decisions. After a brief overview of core characteristics and benefits of discrete event simulation and material flow analysis based on so-called Material Flow Networks, a plug-in-based architecture for generating a customised material flow simulator is presented. The benefits of this framework's component-based structure are then discussed in the context of its practical application to the lithography stage in the manufacture of semiconductors. A summary of the framework's most significant aspects and areas of application conclude the paper.