Symbiotic loss-free industrial production in ultra-efficient urban industrial parks

Abstract The global trends of population growth, urbanisation and volatile markets require a paradigm shift towards decoupling economic growth and resource consumption. This especially applies to the manufacturing industry. The visionary solution approach of the Ultra-Efficiency Factory supports the holistic improvement in the five fields of action - energy, material, emissions, human/staff, organisation - for an industrial factory. Using this as a starting point, an extended approach is the application of the Ultra-Efficiency Factory in urban surroundings. The objective is to define, identify and assess symbiotic effects within industrial parks, as well as with their surrounding urban environment, in order to achieve ultra-efficiency. The Ultra-Efficiency method was adapted to the conditions in industrial parks to support the creation of a transformation trajectory towards ultra-efficiency. The present paper also describes the final step of this method, the development of holistic concepts for ultra-efficient urban industrial sites. This is illustrated via a best practice example from Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany.