A review of movable factory sustainability: a triple bottom line perspective

This paper investigates the sustainability of movable factories, focusing on economic, environmental, and social factors. A structured literature review was conducted, and content analysis was subsequently used to analyze existing research, identifying key themes related to the sustainability impacts of movable factories. Findings indicate that movable factories can positively impact economic sustainability mainly through reduced costs and increased demand responsiveness. Additionally, they can contribute to environmental sustainability mainly by reducing emissions and resource consumption. For social sustainability, movable factories primarily offer opportunities for economic development and improved employee welfare. However, negative impacts, such as increased production network complexity, are also identified. Even so, limited data on the negative impacts on environmental and social sustainability limit insights. Overall, movable factories hold promise for enhancing manufacturing sustainability, but their feasibility and potential benefits should be evaluated case-by-case.