"F³-Project" - Manufacturing in Times of Complexity and Uncertainty   

The chemical, pharmaceutical industry manufactures chemical specialties, agro-chemicals, pharmaceuticals and high-tech materials for consumer goods, agroculture and healthcare.  

Manufacturing has developed into highly complex systems. Predicting the performance of such complex systems becomes a mission impossible. It is no longer feasible to simply design a process, a plant or a complete supply chain for a short-term business scenario.Complexity and uncertainty characterize the future of manufacturing.

Process flexibility becomes a key design feature of processes in the future. Modular designs enable robust and flexible process structures particularly suited for a uncertain, changing world. Modular manufacturing systems offer opportunities to perform successfully in volatile future scenarios.  

The "F³-Project" studied modular process designs under many different aspects. This project was funded by the European Community.

The F³ Factory project has two key aims:

• to deliver radically new ‘plug and play’  modular chemical production technology, capable of widespread implementation throughout the chemical industry

• to deliver holistic process design methodology applying process intensification concepts and innovative decision tools

Specific objectives of the project are to:

• design and develop a modular continuous plant (the F³ Factory ‘backbone’ plant in Leverkusen)
• standardise processes and their interfaces by developing methodologies for whole process design focused on modular plant
• demonstrate the capabilities of the F³ Factory with existing products via seven case studies with the key industrial partners

The project newsletters and the project summaries provide an overview on project goals, concepts and results.The concept and results of this publicly funded project are summarized in various application cases:

The INVITE Research Center is an ideal source for additional information on modular production concepts.