Abstract The industrial energy supply of the production with direct current offers the chances of higher energy efficiency, better integration of generative energy and at the same time robust power supply. In addition to the technological challenges for electrical devices, an intelligent grid management, which regulates the load flow between the participants, is crucial. The distributed grid management supports a scalable, modular network with a hierarchical structure. The paper defines a direct current (DC) grid management by the different roles of every participant. Each role provides special services, needed for a stable grid operation. These services are described and a simulative analysis is carried out. The simulation shows that network stability is ensured and at the same time, the possibility of optimizing the operation management is maintained. The presented results are part of the DC-INDUSTRIE research project, funded by the German government.