Solving product sustainability problems will span the gamut of our customers product lifecycles. Consequently, there is no “killer-app” in PLM that will resolve your entire sustainability challenge. In other words, environmental aspects are embedded in the full digital thread, from cradle-to-grave, or better from cradle-to-cradle.
Environmental awareness and planning for environmental sustainability starts at the earliest stage of the product development, the requirements definition stage. It also demands Systems Thinking rather than putting the physical product itself at the center only. For example, requirements for green products shall be allocated to logical structures. The architecture shall have a functional description and reflect environmental constraints. The physical implementation and material choices must be based on those requirements and the defined system architecture within the context of the whole (eco-)system (system-of-systems).
Further downstream, processing the raw materials and components, understanding the impact of your machines and logistics on energy consumption during production, improving the serviceability during operation, recycling after decommissioning or re-use after first usage, require informed decisions all along the way of your product development process.
In this presentation we will explore different areas in which Aras Innovator can support the development of green, sustainable products.