Evaluating environmental sustainability factors in implementation of reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) using DEMATEL approach

Technological explosion along with dynamic and unpredictable market demands, along with increasing cost of energy and several other dynamic forces have put the manufactures grappling for breath. To deal with the situation, it has become essential for manufacturers to devise manufacturing systems that can produce high quality products at low cost and consume less energy besides being sustainable by consuming minimal resources and leaving minimal degradation foot print. Reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) has the ability to cope with the current predicament because of its core features such as scalability, modularity, convertibility, etc. However, researchers have not focussed on considering environmental sustainability issues in the RMS at design stage. The prime objective of this research is to highlight and discuss the environmental sustainability factors. In this paper 18 factors related to environment sustainability for reconfigurable manufacturing system have been identified. Further, the Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach has been deployed to analyse the overall ranking and interrelation ship among recognised factors and finally causal diagram has been developed, which if conjoined with traditional RMS principles will further enhance the profitability of manufacturers and breathe a new life into their limping state of affairs. It is clear from the result that the value of Ri + Ci is highest for the use of renewable energy factor (E13) and has the highest degree of importance among all environmental sustainability factors of RMS. This overall ranking helps to designer and engineer in making the real world manufacturing system more effective, ecofriendly and sustainable, which is needed for the future prospective.