Improving Environmental Sustainability in Engineer-to-Order Manufacturing: A Case Study on Control Cabinets

Bründl P, Egloffstein M, Funk F, Scheck A, Franke J (2025)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH

Pages Range: 107-116

Conference Proceedings Title: Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering

Event location: New York City, NY

ISBN: 9783032076748

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-07675-5_11

Abstract

Anthropogenic climate change, driven by greenhouse gas emissions and pollution from industrial and manufacturing processes, poses significant environmental and public health challenges. Addressing these issues requires a shift toward sustainable production methods, products, and lifestyles. Comprehensive evaluation frameworks such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) are essential for identifying sustainable alternatives. This study applies LCA, based on international standards, enhanced by the ILCD Handbook and PEF methods, to assess the environmental performance of manufacturing processes of complex mechatronic products, exemplified in the control cabinet industry. The analysis focuses on engineer-to-order manufacturing with small production batches and limited initial data. Using OpenLCA and Ecoinvent databases, this research models production processes and evaluates environmental impacts across all life cycle stages. Findings highlight that raw material extraction and the use-phase dominate environmental impacts, driven by the processing of copper, steel, and PA 6, as well as electricity consumption from fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Scenarios assessing production components and renewable electricity use reveal that including manufacturing processes increases environmental impact categories by 9.1%, while renewable energy adoption reduces impacts by 16.2%. These results emphasize the importance of considering all manufacturing stages and integrating renewable energy to improve environmental outcomes.

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How to cite

APA:

Bründl, P., Egloffstein, M., Funk, F., Scheck, A., & Franke, J. (2026). Improving Environmental Sustainability in Engineer-to-Order Manufacturing: A Case Study on Control Cabinets. In Krishnaswami Srihari, Mohammad T. Khasawneh, Sangwon Yoon, Daehan Won (Eds.), Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering (pp. 107-116). New York City, NY, US: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH.

MLA:

Bründl, Patrick, et al. "Improving Environmental Sustainability in Engineer-to-Order Manufacturing: A Case Study on Control Cabinets." Proceedings of the 34th International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing, FAIM 2025, New York City, NY Ed. Krishnaswami Srihari, Mohammad T. Khasawneh, Sangwon Yoon, Daehan Won, Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2026. 107-116.

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