UTILIZING SUSTAINABILITY FACTORS FOR PRODUCT OPTIMIZATION

• US 20100274612A1
• Filed: 04/24/2009
• Published: 10/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Walker, Marcia Elaine, Kaufman, Philip John
• Application Number:
  US12/429,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20100274612A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems

Abstract

An industrial control system is provided. The system includes a processor to analyze one or more sustainability factors and a scoring component to assign a weight to the sustainability factors. An optimizer automatically adjusts a production process in view of the sustainability factors, the weight, and at least one of a recycling requirement, a carbon footprint, a procurement process, a shipping process, or a regulatory requirement.

Claims

1. A recycling method, comprising:

automatically determining a destination region;

automatically determining recycling requirements associated with the region; and

dynamically altering an automated packaging process in view of the recycling requirements.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising shipping a product to a region, where the product has a package that is automatically tailored to conform to the recycling requirements of the region.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing one or more sustainability scores to alter the automated packaging process.

16. The system of claim 1, the processor analyzes a manufacturing model that includes a bill of material, an MRP model (material requirement planning), an MES model (manufacturing execution system), an ERP model (enterprise resource planning), an S88 model, or a programming model.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a demand response component that employs the manufacturing model to facilitate energy management.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a simulation component to manage energy in accordance with the manufacturing model.

4. A production method for managing carbon footprints, comprising:

determining a range of values for a desired carbon footprint;

analyzing product ingredients, product manufacturing methods, or product shipping methods in view of the desired carbon footprint; and

automatically adjusting an automated manufacturing process in view of the desired carbon footprint.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising optimizing the automated manufacturing process for a lowest possible carbon footprint.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating a label that indicates the carbon footprint.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising analyzing one or more sustainability scores to adjust the automated manufacturing process.

8. A method to optimize procurement and shipping systems within a supply chain, comprising:

determining an environmental impact for products manufactured on an automated product line;

analyzing current environmental conditions or models that are associated with destination locations for the products; and

automatically adjusting a procurement method or a shipping method in view of the current environmental conditions.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating product shipments in view of weather conditions to mitigate environmental impacts.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising employing one or more sustainability scores to determine environmental impacts.

11. A method to manage regulatory compliance, comprising:

automatically analyzing one or more sustainability factors;

automatically analyzing one or more regulations in view of the sustainability factors; and

dynamically adjusting a production process in order to substantially comply with the regulations.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising automatically altering a product label to indicate compliance with the regulations.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising automatically adjusting the production process in order to realize a regulatory incentive or rebate.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising automatically applying a score to the sustainability factors.

15. An industrial control system, comprising:

a processor to analyze one or more sustainability factors;

a scoring component to assign a weight to the sustainability factors; and

an optimizer to automatically adjust a production process in view of the sustainability factors, the weight, and at least one of a recycling requirement, a carbon footprint, a procurement process, a shipping process, or a regulatory requirement.

19. The system of claim 15, the sustainability factors includes water usage, expected energy use, a type of energy used, a carbon emission, a recyclability factor, an environmental impact factor, a safety factor, or a utility demand factor.

20. A system for controlling an industrial process, comprising:

means for scoring one or more sustainability factors;

means for weighting the sustainability factors; and

means for adjusting a production process in view of at least one of a recycling requirement, a carbon footprint, a procurement process, a shipping process, or a regulatory requirement.