Application of system dynamics modelling for a sustainable manufacturing system of an Indian automotive component manufacturing organisation: a case study

Over the last few decades, the manufacturing industry has been a major contributor to pollution and consumes a greater portion of the world´s total resources. Social demands and customer pressure have forced manufacturing industries to embrace sustainability principles. The automobile industry is the largest manufacturing sector, which is a significant contributor of environmental pollution. However, there is a significant potential to reduce resource consumption by the automobile industry and improve its social performance through sustainability initiatives and technologies. In order to contribute in this direction, the case study reported in this paper was carried out. The objective of the reported study is to build a suitable system dynamics model to identify areas required for sustainable improvement in an automotive component manufacturing organization. Factors influencing sustainable initiatives were analysed by developing a model using a system dynamics approach. Suitable performance indicators were identified and used for carrying out the analysis.

Stock and flow model of environmental impact