A new optimization-simulation model considering sustainability factors in the product design

Abstract

This study aims at understanding factors of an industrial product driving the sustainability and long-term survival. On the whole, sustainability in product design is an important issue for attracting and retaining customers around the world. Based on a printer case, this study attempted to determine sustainability factors in the product design based on a hybrid method of the conjoint analysis (CA), the fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) and the system dynamics (SD). In this approach, first, the optimal values of initial data are determined by CA. These values are entered into a FCM-SD model to evaluate the cause-and-effect relationships between factors of sustainability and long term scenarios. The results provide insights into which factors most strongly influence sustainability, namely, environmental, social, and economical factors. Hence, diverse scenarios at inter and intra-cluster levels were created to clarify the effects of variable changes on the model described.