Even today, factories and production systems are primarily planned using established methods from lean production, developed in the 1990s, which only partially address sustainability. Industrial production significantly impacts climate change; in Germany, for instance, 70% (9.1 million TJ) of the primary energy requirement of 13 million TJ comes from industry, and around 28% of annual new land use is attributed to industrial expansion and new construction.
This situation is no longer viable, given the European Commission’s energy efficiency targets for 2030 and the roadmap to achieve no net land take by 2050. Additionally, traditional planning methods struggle to tackle pressing challenges such as a shortage of skilled workers, the need for greater flexibility, and increasing productivity. Therefore, new design principles are essential to harness this potential and create sustainable factories for the future.
The authors aim to demonstrate that enhancing energy and area productivity is crucial for a holistic improvement in sustainability and to identify additional design principles stemming from this focus. This includes extending factory planning into a third axis, emphasizing the strict separation of human-manual and automated subsystems, as well as distinguishing value-adding from supporting activities. These principles have been implemented in the innovation factory at TZ PULS as a proof-of-concept, exemplifying a sustainable production system of the future.
The proposed Smart Multi Layer Production System addresses key contemporary challenges and significantly reduces energy and land consumption. This approach presents a unique opportunity to align social, economic and ecological goals, establishing foundational design principles for sustainable and green factories