A study on eco-efficiency of a downsized modular manufacturing system by considering flexibility

Downsizing of manufacturing systems is considered to be an option to reduce environmental impact of manufacturing. However, productivity is always the bottleneck to implement downsizing in practical production. On the other hand, eco-efficiency is considered to be the key issue in enhancing the sustainability of the society. In manufacturing system, system capability versus environmental impact should be focused on as system eco-efficiency. The researchers developed a downsized modular manufacturing system named on-demand MEMS factory. A comparison with a conventional MEMS fabrication facility showed that such downsized manufacturing systems are rather eco-efficient. We explained that the small size contributes in reducing the environmental impact and the modularity is good for enhancing system flexibility. However, the production flexibility itself has not been quantified. In this report, we modify the evaluation index to quantify the system ability to meet various requirements in production. Through this effort the paper analyzes that the on-demand MEMS factory is far more eco-efficient when the requirements for the manufacturing system changes frequently.