Summary & Goals

The goal of the PLM Green discussion forum and working group on Industry 4.0, led by Lionel Grealou, is to investigate and advocate the use of PLM business strategies and software technologies that will power an Industry 4.0 vision of sustainable green manufacturing.

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is one of the core enablers to a green Industry 4.0, alongside other enterprise platforms and supporting technologies that include ERP, SCM, MES, SLM, IOT, 3D printing, etc. The smart products and smart factories resulting from Industry 4.0 can create a new low-carbon circular economy based on the principles of sustainable manufacturing.  Sustainable manufacturing requires data traceability through economically-sound processes that minimize negative environmental impacts while conserving energy and natural resources. This vision will require the technology tools, integrated processes, and data sharing that PLM is capable of providing right now.

Theme Moderators

Lionel Grealou, Managing Director 

www.xlifecycle.com/

Focus & Objectives

Sustainable manufacturing implements multiple Circular Economy principles such as: reuse, recycle, reduce, recover, reuse, repair, regenerate, re-manufacture, and waste management. As such, it becomes necessary to rethink the “product” and its functions such as how to use the product more efficiently and environmentally over its entire lifecycle. As example, leveraging all of the data created upstream of manufacturing that is authored as part of the product development process, including EBOM-MBOM alignment, CAD and CAE data, digital manufacturing, manufacturing process planning, plant simulation, technical publications, electronic work instructions, digital twins, and other PLM solution elements (process, technology and data).

Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products through economically-sound processes that minimize negative environmental impacts while conserving energy and natural resources. It simultaneously concerns four dimensions or external factors: society, environment, economy, and  technology. It also involves sustainable engineering by expanding on how smart connected products and smart factories address the following industry requirements:

• Product life extension
• Part and component optimization
• Smarter and circular design
• End-to-end eco-innovation
• Systems engineering, lean processes, clean data
• Sustained growth and productivity
• Renewable energy sources

Agenda & Activities

The agenda of this PLM Green theme group will be to explore the “intersection” of how PLM strategies and technologies enable the vision of Industry 4.0 for a more sustainable circular economy. In doing so we plan to investigate the following questions with respect to their green value:

• How does data and product connectivity contribute to feeding smart factories, and enhancing the product lifecycle practice?
• How to improve feedback loops and data integration upstream-downstream of new product development to contribute positively to the circular economy?
• How to drive downstream waste reduction by improving data traceability and accessibility, with better product analytics throughout its lifecycle?
• How to link more tightly manufacturing planning and execution?
• How to more robustly connect and integrate engineering, manufacturing and service / maintenance process operations?
• How to reduce time to market, with both product development and production cost optimization, integrating co-creation from the design office to the shop-floor?
• How to align further the digital and the physical worlds, delivering more customer-centric products enabled by fully horizontally-integrated PLM strategies, taking an ecosystem approach to collaboration, leveraging more agile and continual release processes?
• How to reduce pre-launch cost and generate downstream manufacturing improvements?

We will be pursuing the objectives using a plan selected from several activities which may include: focus discussion groups, articles and blog posts, book reviews, recorded interviews, industry surveys, conference panels, webinars, and cooperation with other organizations and alliances. The agenda will be developed in collaboration with our members and volunteers from around the world under the leadership of our theme moderator.

Announcements & Updates

Check back soon as we finalize and announce our activities for 2021. To follow our progress with periodic updates register HERE to receive our news updates or email us at info@plmgreenalliance.com.

Invitation to Participate & Collaborate

To participate in our PLM and Industyy 4.0 discussion forum, we invite you to first join the PLM Green Global Alliance LinkedIn Group at https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12304531/ then contact our moderator Lionel Grealou.

References & Resources

Here we have started creating a curated list of featured white papers, blog posts, presentations, case studies, webinars, and recorded interviews on the role of PLM in powering a green Industry 4.0  We invite you to send us examples you have come across in your own work, company, industry, or country to info@plmgreenalliance.com.