Supporting the Transformation to Climate Neutral Production with Shop Floor Management

Abstract

The European Green Deal proposes the transformation to climate neutrality by 2050. Especially for manufacturing companies and their production sites, this transformation is a big challenge. Every aspect of the value stream needs to be re-evaluated and adjusted to reach the new target state of climate neutral production. In the last decades, many companies used lean management methods to improve production in the dimensions of time, quality, and cost. However, a growing number of studies show that lean methods can also be used to drive sustainability goals (with the target state being climate neutral production). This paper analyses the suitability of shop floor management, a popular lean method, in the context of climate neutral production. To this end, a literature research has been conducted to summarize the goals of shop floor management and the success factors for the transformation to climate neutral production. Then the results are contrasted and overlaps are analysed to identify possible shop floor management tools to accelerate the transformation to climate neutral production. Finally, the findings are briefly discussed and summarized in a matrix. The paper closes with specific recommendations for further research in this area.