Sustainability
“Green” used to be just a color, but not anymore. It is now the one word that represents anything having to do with the environment. But is it enough to be green? What if green is cost-prohibitive? What if green comes at the expense of meeting other vehicle requirements? To be green is not enough; your product must be sustainable. It must find the right balance between social, economic and, of course, environmental requirements. Lean too much towards any one, and you’ll likely end up with a product that no one will buy.
How do you find that balance? It’s not easy. There are many things to consider; alternatives to evaluate; tradeoffs to make. Siemens PLM Software’s solution for Sustainability helps you make the right decisions throughout the product lifecycle to ensure you produce a sustainable product.
Key Features
Here are some critical actions that automakers and suppliers must take to ensure sustainability throughout the product lifecycle:
- Target sustainability early. Consider the product's entire lifecycle in the planning stage, and establish environmental objectives alongside other performance and cost targets.
- Design for sustainability. Effective weight and materials management throughout the product development process are key to ensuring that regulatory, fuel economy, emissions requirements and cost targets are met.
- Optimize manufacturing processes virtually. Use factory simulation to determine how to minimize use of land, water and energy, as well as reduce scrap. Track plant assets throughout their life to ensure timely maintenance for optimal performance, as well as decommissioning and recycling/disposal.
- Monitor the supply chain for sustainability. When making sourcing decisions, consider suppliers' environmental footprint using "green scorecards". Ensure that supplier operations are embracing sustainable practices that benefit your product.
- Base decisions on the right information. Finding the right balance is all about making the right decisions throughout the development process. Whether is making tradeoffs early in the process to determine the right design direction, or understanding the impact of proposed changes as the product matures, having the right information to make the best possible decisions is crucial.
Contact us now to discover how Siemens PLM Software’s solution for Sustainability can help.
