Sustainable factory systems

Integrated planning of battery cell production.
© Fraunhofer IST, Marén Gröschel
Holistic planning of battery cell production.

Comprehensive approach – from process to factory roof

In the topic area “Sustainable Factory Systems“, the focus is on the comprehensive design of production systems for current and future energy storage systems. The range of services covers much more than the planning and design of processes and process chains, and spans the design of the entire factory from the individual process to the factory roof. Diverse and complex interactions between products, processes, technical building equipment and buildings are taken into account. The focus is particularly on methods of the “digital factory“, such as simulation and the construction of “digital twins“ of products and processes.

Sustainability as an opportunity

In collaboration with our partners, we develop digital models and simulations for the planning of sustainable factory systems. Our concepts support a participatory factory planning approach, with which we accompany the transformation towards a sustainable factory system – from the initial idea through to the finished factory – in cooperation with our customers. Our models create transparency regarding discrete and continuous material, energy and substance flows and validate differing design and operating scenarios for the customer-specific factory system. Technical interrelationships are thereby modeled and economic and environmental consequences are evaluated. In this context, we place a special focus on the minimization of the environmental impact of energy storage production, and support our customers in the planning of large battery cell factories – from the initial idea, through the project phases of factory planning, and on to the implementation in industrial practice. A further focus is the demand-oriented planning of a decentralized renewable energy supply for factory systems with the help of innovative energy storage systems on the basis of battery and hydrogen technologies. 

”By actively planning and designing the product lifecycle of energy storage systems, including the associated production systems, we are able to support our customers in overcoming challenges on their individual path to a circular economy.”

Nikolas Dilger M.Sc. / Group Manager

Our commitment to research clusters

 

Hydrogen Campus Salzgitter

 

Fraunhofer Center for Energy Storage and Systems ZESS