SynFAP - Synergetic factory planning based on an integrated process and space model

According to the current status quo, factory planning projects are characterised by a sequential approach, combined with a limited availability of information among the parties involved in the planning process. Due to the economic demand for harmonization of product, process and building lifecycles, factory planning has become a complex task requiring new methods and tools for the planning phases involved. Whereas it was previously customary to first plan production processes and equipment and then look for a suitable room and building structure, nowadays it is increasingly important to consider room and building planning, including investment and operating costs, in the early phases of factory planning due to frequent product and process changes. The building structure, e. g. via support grids, media supply and docking points for delivery, has an intensive influence on logistical efficiency. Only a continuous consideration and cooperative design of these building and process elements leads to a holistic concept of the factory. 

This is why cooperative and integrative approaches are necessary, which are oriented to interdisciplinary and cross-functional approaches and guarantee an efficient interaction of the planning participants of all disciplines. To this day, this important integration aspect of factory planning has hardly been taken into account. There is a lack of methodical support for the effective and efficient integration of technical disciplines in the planning project as well as instruments for communication and user-specific visualization. Instead of continuous, cooperative cooperation between the specialists involved in the planning process, partial results are usually passed on without the overall concept being integrated and visually present.

The project for synergetic factory planning is intended to meet the demand for a new approach to cooperative and integrative planning. Synergy refers to the positive effect of cooperation on a coordinated overall performance. The project focuses on cooperation between factory planning and architecture.  The aim of the project is divided into two sub-goals. Sub-objective 1 is to interlink the planning processes of classic factory planning and architecture, which have been decoupled in terms of time and content, and to derive a methodology of synergetic factory planning for the structured procedure in factory planning projects. Objective 2 is to develop a cross-disciplinary planning tool for synergetic factory planning, which represents the basis for joint planning of all disciplines involved in the planning process and is based on the efficient synthesis of information and visual data.