Batch Plant Management in Need of More Support

The complex multi-purpose, multi-product character of batch manufacturing plants implies a major need to integrate information from operational activities in the plant and to gain more insight into the relative importance of every activity with respect to the main objective of the enterprise. At Delft University of Technology a management decision support tool is being developed which aims at acquiring a deeper insight into the connection between the operational activities of the plant and its objectives. Moreover, it determines the relative importance of the objectives with respect to the main one. With this knowledge, plant managers are supported in their decisions on which activities they should emphasize for process and product improvement and innovation.