sustainability

Sustainability is gaining importance and the economy is changing into a circular economy, especially with regard to climate change and the need to create more resilient value chains. The organization of work is meeting these challenges with, among other things, the digitalization of increasingly changeable production. Collecting and understanding data is becoming increasingly complex, as not only internal production data is of interest, but also cross-company sustainability indicators play a role in decision-making. The research results presented under the main topic “Digitization of the work environment for sustainable production” address this problem of compliance with sustainability requirements by means of digitization and its impact on the workplace and workers. The members of the Scientific Society for Work and Business Organisation (WGAB) present innovative concepts and research results for practitioners and scientists and thus provide valuable input for current challenges.

Advanced analytics applications in smart manufacturing provide beneficiary effects such as predictive maintenance, energy optimized factories, and automized quality management of products. While the benefits and thus the sustainability effects are well investigated, the research field is characterized by many single applications with little conceptual synthesis. Therefore, this research aims to systematize the field and to identify specific sustainability themes in context of advance analytics applications. This chapter provides an overview of existing advanced analytics applications in smart manufacturing and clusters the addressed sustainability themes. Applying a systematic literature review, following the PRISMA statement, 65 different applications within four research perspective could be identified. Furthermore, ten different sustainability-related effects of the applications in smart manufacturing unfold. The content analysis resulted in 27 sustainability themes, which ...

Supply chains have to be designed and managed to handle complexity and uncertainties. Recent events (e.g. Covid-19) have shown how fragile supply chains can be when assumptions for the design and management of supply chains are challenged. In addition, governments are striving for systemic changes towards more sustainability (e.g. European Green Deal). To meet the resulting requirements, the concept of circular economy and with it, circular supply chain management (CSCM) are gaining attention as they could contribute to building a sustainable and resilient system. The German wind energy industry, with its long track record, is a suitable application for further research on CSCM, as the industry operates predominantly in a linear system and relies on finite materials. Despite, research on CSCM for the wind energy industry is still rare. The aim of the paper is therefore to present conceptional ideas that enable an efficient design of a circular wind energy industry in Germany. Aspects ...

Today's business world is characterized by ever-increasing complexity in nearly every dimension. Supply chains can no longer be understood in a linear fashion, but form networks across numerous supply chain participants. Globalization and crises are straining existing structures, calling into question previously set priorities and measures, and demanding new solutions. How must supply chains be structured in this constantly changing environment in order to be successful? This article highlights fields of action for successful supply chain management.

Circular Economy is considered one of the most promising concepts on the way to a more sustainable economy. Expectations of a responsible corporate orientation are rising: This is shown by a recent ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court, which demands that Germany must be more ambitious in its climate goals [1]. The EU Green Deal envisages climate neutrality by 2050 and the “Circular Economy Action Plan” calls for more effective use of resources and reserves [2]. This article describes a method that companies can use to develop ideas for circular business models.

A considerable part of global greenhouse gas emissions is caused in the industrial sector. Its digitialization is often seen as a means to increase sustainability. At the same time, ecological and social risks emerge. Their exploration is still in its infancy, however, previous findings point out multiple challenges. These must be conceptually taken into account in order to realize a sustainable industry 4.0. Building on a literature analysis, the following contribution presents current developments in research, industry, and policy. We shed light on a number of selected approaches, which aim at a sustainable industry 4.0. Finally, practical design options are outlined.

The digitalization in sustainability management and the creation of a consistent database for sustainability data can significantly support companies in meeting increasing sustainability requirements and transparency regarding the sustainability performance. This paper presents a service-oriented approach for the development of a platform for data-driven sustainability management in manufacturing companies.

Managers are still facing significant challenges in implementing Industry 4.0 technologies and many companies have not gone beyond their initial Industry 4.0 lighthouse project to date. In the midst of this ongoing transformation, the European Commission published a white paper in January 2021 dealing with the “Industry 5.0 concept”. This paper investigates the term “Industry 5.0” with regard to the contribution of the European Commission and illustrates the connection with current Industry 4.0 initiatives.

When selecting a new refrigerator, energy efficiency is a decisive selection criterion. However, in the strategic and tactical planning of value-added networks, this is not yet the case. The E²-Design-toolbox enables energy efficiency to be considered in the planning process of production and logistics networks, in addition to the classic performance and cost variables. The early integration allows to draw on the overall potential. This paper presents the underlying energy data, the optimization modules, and the user’s perspective.