Logistics simulation of recycling networks

doi:10.1016/S0166-3615(97)00095-X

Computers in Industry

Volume 36, Issues 1–2, 30 April 1998, Pages 31-38

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-3615(97)00095-X Get rights and content

Abstract

The current GATT agreement will further reduce trade barriers around the world, leading to a market situation where only the fittest, in production terms `leanest', can survive. Time-to-market is becoming critical for the success of enterprises. Enterprises can survive by cooperating with others forming a `virtual enterprise'. Virtual enterprises are capable of reducing time-to-market by applying concurrent engineering methodologies in a globally distributed environment, and by production adaptation to specific customer needs. Increased dependency and topographical distribution of the business partners require detailed planning of the production and logistics process. Where the internal production logistics are usually well optimised, the new situation requires external production logistics also to be optimised to suit the requirements arising from the new production scheme. Beside this business-related production changes, the public will have an increased impact on the different production paradigms in the future. Sustainable production set-ups are required to satisfy the requirements of people living at the border of production facilities. The LOCOMOTIVE consortium is developing a tool that will help create a logistic infrastructure suitable for tackling the new challenging logistics demands of the emerging production paradigm, including the assessment of environmental impacts. The tool is intended to be used by middle and upper management, to support the search for appropriate logistic solutions at the strategic decision level.

Section snippets

Implementing sustainable production schemes

Over the past few years, public awareness of environmental aspects has dramatically increased. Legal actions like CO₂ taxes are being discussed by politicians, who have to reflect the public opinion. It is a certainty, that in the short or long run, legal tools will be introduced to cut environmental wastage. The need for sustainable production schemes is obvious: resources of material and energy are limited and have to be protected. However, where enterprise managers, especially in the

Reverse logistics concepts

The life-cycle-oriented production requires that certain return facilities be provided and maintained. The return of old, damaged or used products represents a major problem to the companies involved in life-cycle-oriented production schemes. Maintaining appropriate transport and stock capabilities requires enormous financial investments. Although at the moment, the return of old products does not pose such a notable problem, because products falling under the circulation law [6]have not yet

Environmentally friendly logistics structures for life cycle production schemes

Life cycle-oriented production schemes have to support environmentally friendly logistics concepts; the tools needed to plan and fulfil the requirements of environmentally friendly production schemes are rare. The logistics planning tools that are available seldom cover the aspect of environmental impact assessment. On the other hand, tools that are specially designed to calculate environmental impacts are usually cumbersome to use and are not, or only partly, integrated into the planning

Environmentally friendly integrated life cycle production

To plan an environmentally friendly life cycle production, it is not sufficient to just install machines that are capable of handling the final disassembly procedure. Instead, it is important to embed all aspects of the return procedures, production- and logistic-related, into an overall homogeneous system. Special interfaces provided by the Production Planning and Control (PPC) systems, as well as by the logistics simulation tool enable both programmes to share relevant environmental

Functionality of the LOCOMOTIVE simulation toolbox

The purpose of the LOCOMOTIVE tool is to simulate and analyse the behaviour of a given logistics network structure on the basis of pre-defined parameters (Fig. 2). The core functionality is the capability of the LOCOMOTIVE tool to simulate and track the order processing [3].

The LOCOMOTIVE tool enables its user to easily set-up and change a logistic scenario. When modelling a specific logistics situation, the user of the LOCOMOTIVE toolbox has the capability to choose between different

Ecological impact assessment

The LOCOMOTIVE toolbox contains a module that can determine the ecological impacts of logistic activities. Every user-defined service in the LOCOMOTIVE toolbox (e.g., transport services) can be connected to a special environmental impact set 4, 5, which defines the ecological impacts that are caused by this service (e.g., CO₂ set free during transport). During simulation, the defined environmental parameter sets will be used to calculate the environmental impact that is generated during the

Conclusion

The trend for globalisation and for building-up temporary strategic partnerships (e.g., Virtual Enterprises) will increase the need and the complexity of supply chain designs.

With the LOCOMOTIVE toolbox, a logistics planning tool is available, which takes into account environmental data, as well as economical data in an integrated way. With the advent of legislative decision to reduce environmental pollution and to recycle products on European, as well as national level, the need for tools that

Acknowledgements

The Logistics Chain Multidimensional Design Toolbox with Environmental Assessment (LOCOMOTIVE) Project (EP#8615) is a Commission of the European Community (CEC)- sponsored Project which was launched under the Third Framework of the ESPRIT Program. Participating parties are: Schenker Eurocargo, Bremen Institute of Industrial Technology and Applied Work Science at the University of Bremen, Pittsburgh Plate Glass, Dornier System Consult, Remix Oy, Helsinki University of Technology.

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Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd E. Hirsch: From 1969, Prof. Hirsch spent 14 years of his pro-active career working in various aircraft and space production development and management functions. During that time, he also lectured in computer application for control and programming manufacturing systems at the University of Hannover, where he was appointed honourary professor. Immediately after, he took up a two-year visiting professorship at the Universidade de Santa Catarina in Brazil. For 12 years, he was the director of the Bremen Institute of Industrial Technology and Applied Work Science (BIBA), which is a scientific institute associated to the University of Bremen. Its particular strength is in the field of computer and communication application in distributed manufacturing, and their impact on the involvement of human labour. Within that framework, his researchers are involved in a number of European Union research projects, but are also actively involved finding design concepts and solutions for one-of-a-kind and construction site management in the maritime, automotive, aerospace and construction industries. Besides manufacturing, Prof. Hirsch is recognised nationally and internationally as a leading authority in the fields of Quality and IT as well as Logistics. In this capacity, he has chaired numerous European and international conferences and workshops. He is a member of specialist working groups and international organisations dedicated to his field of expertise.

Dr.-Ing. Thorsten Kuhlmann: Studied business and engineering from 1983 to 1989 (second thesis (Diplomarbeit): Development of Simulation for Production Planning in the Process Industry). Since 1989, he has been employed at BIBA as a scientific researcher, since 1995, head of department Logistics and Globally Distributed Production. In 1994, Dr.-Ing. obtained a degree in Production Engineering, Production Systematic (Thesis: Production Coordination of Complex One-of-a-Kind Products). Involved in several national and international R&D projects. Main areas are production management, production organisation, intra- and interorganisational (information and material) logistics and enterprise modelling. Other activities are the adaptation of PPC systems to different industrial environments. Also working in the German standardization committee DIN NAM 96-5.1 in working groups of Framework for CIM-System Integration.

Jens Schumacher: Dipl. Inf. Jens Schumacher received his M.Sc. in Computer Science in 1992 at the University of Bremen. Started as a research scientist at BIBA in 1992; Workpackage manager in the Esprit III PASHA project: Parallel Software—Hardware Application EP#7074 (from 1992 to 1994). Since 1994, workpackage manager in the ESPRIT III LOCOMOTIVE project: Logistic Chain Multidimensional Design Toolbox with Environmental Assessment EP#8615.

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