The three roles of WCM 4.0 in Sustainable Manufacturing

Figure: Relationship between WCM 4.0 and Sustainable Manufacturing

If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted then it must be restricted, replaced, redesigned or removed from manufacturing. It is not environmentally sustainable to manufacture billions of items that are used in minutes and last for centuries. Meeting the needs of the present generation should not inhibit future generations from meeting their needs.

Sustainability in World Class Manufacturing 4.0 (WCM 4.0) has resulted in the development of technical and organization solutions that has led to the development of innovative processes and products that minimizes negative impact on the environment, energy, natural resources and results in a safe haven for consumers, employees and communities.

Sustainable WCM4.0 has shifted the manufacturing mentality from cost, quality, delivery and flexibility to the triple bottom line of environment, social and economic criteria. This has integrated sustainability in the lifetime of products and processes resulting in green products design, green procurement, green technology and green production.

The WCM 4.0 is at the heart of manufacturing sustainability model, employee solutions is in tandem with the social criteria, the process lock-in works hand in hand with sustainable economy criteria and equipment optimization reduces waste of resources and enables bio-manufacturing and recycling thereby having a significant impact on the environment.

The 2050 manufacturing challenge of trebling output, being a clean neighbor, emitting 100% less greenhouse gases and reducing resource use by 50% can be best achieved through the WCM 4.0 model. Below are three ways in which WCM 4.0 affects sustainability.

1. Employee Solutions

Employee solutions as envisaged in WCM 4.0 play a significant role in sustainability. These solutions enable the design, development and application of sustainable manufacturing goals. These solutions result in; increased knowledge sharing, novel business models, digitization, integration and automation, vertical and horizontal networking, optimization, customization and value chain re-engineering.

Some of the tools that enhance WCM 4.0 employee solutions in sustainability are; Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Zero Loss Yield Analysis (ZLYA) and Zero Loss Waste Analysis (ZLWA). Some of the metrics tracked to improve employee solutions on sustainability are; non-renewable materials, restricted substance, re-used content, water, energy, renewable portion of energy, Green House Gases (GHG), residuals released into the air, residuals released into the water, recyclability of products, renewable materials content of product, non-renewable material content of product, restricted substance content of product, product energy consumption intensity and product GHG emission intensity.

2. Process Lock-in

Process lock-in in WCM 4.0 brings about near to long term application of opportunities to advance data collection metrics, application of novel models and methods for smart and sustainable manufacturing. It takes advantage of smart manufacturing technology, optimized production equipment, sensing technologies, advanced computational methods and data analytics from the shop floor to the enterprise level.

WCM 4.0 process lock-in also considers interactions of multiple manufacturing processes thereby enable vertical and horizontal integration of manufacturing processes and products across manufacturing domains and information sharing across industries. This enables standardization of sustainability practices which develops fertile grounds for sustainable innovations to thrive.

In manufacturing sustainability, WCM 4.0 process lock-in results in reduction in production time, utilization of energy, water and resources thereby increasing economic stability and sustainability. Horizontal and vertical integration enables enhanced customer experience, improved supply chain management and human resource management, these positively impacts the social criteria of sustainability.

3. Equipment Optimization

Waste is a design flaw, equipment optimization minimizes or eliminates generation of waste, improves residual intensity from a mass balance perspective and a waste output approach, it also reduces residual release in water and air. It also enables the ability to incorporate recycled/re-used materials, bio-degradable raw materials and reprocessing/re-manufacturing of end of life materials.

Equipment optimization reduces the cost of monitoring, treatment of waste, the need for cooling water, air conditioning and use of non-renewable energy. Optimized equipment improves product energy consumption intensity and product GHG emission intensity.

Overall, by using social, economic, and environment as sustainability models and employee solutions, process lock-in, and equipment optimization in the WCM 4.0 model, it is possible to create a more sustainable and efficient manufacturing industry. By combining these approaches, companies can improve their environmental and social performance, while also increasing their competitiveness and profitability.