Life Cycle Rating – An approach to support the decision-making process of manufacturing systems

摘要

The increasing use of the life cycle costing method in the production industry shows the need of cost reduction on a holistic basis. A monetary product life cycle evaluation for different alternatives supports the decision-making process beyond the initial purchase price. Beside the cost perspective, the reduction of CO2emissions also becomes an important goal for the industry. Therefore, the life cycle assessment is a concept to evaluate the environmental impact along the product life cycle. In conclusion, the cost and environmental approaches deal with the consequences of decisions. Thus, the production planning department has the task to evaluate both dimensions for manufacturing equipment. However, the implementation of these life cycle approaches is still moving forward slowly due to lack of both information at the decision point, and a practical method to support decision-making. This paper shows a framework for the life cycle rating for manufacturing equipment within the planning phase. The framework supports the decision-making process regarding economic and environmental consequences.