Management apparatus

Abstract

To provide a management apparatus capable of managing production or distribution of rubber products in consideration of environmental information.SOLUTION: A management apparatus (10) calculates, for a rubber product, environmental response index which is a value indicating how the rubber product is environmentally friendly, to manage production or distribution of the rubber product on the basis of the environmental response index. The management apparatus includes: an acquisition unit (131) which acquires raw material information including environmental information of raw materials of the rubber product, characteristic information which is information on the characteristics including the composition of the rubber product, and restriction information which is information on restrictions on the environmental response index; a calculation unit (132) which calculates an environmental response index of the rubber product on the basis of the raw material information and the characteristic information; and a determination unit (133) which determines, based on the restriction information, a combination of raw materials or a place of distribution that satisfies the restrictions on the environmental response index in production or distribution of the rubber product.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management device. The present disclosure relates to a management device for managing the production or distribution of rubber products that are required to be made sustainable. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in light of the prevention of global warming, the tightening of global energy supply and demand, etc., there is a demand to manage and improve the CO2 emissions of products. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that links the energy of processes or equipment with production information to calculate and manage the CO2 emissions by product and by lot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-67114 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] From the viewpoint of environmental protection, the raw materials used in rubber products are also required to be sustainable, and replacement of materials derived from fossil resources with sustainable materials with low environmental impact, such as renewable materials, recycled materials, and biodegradable materials, is being promoted. Information on the sustainability rate of raw materials and what sustainable materials are used is also required to be managed in a form that can be utilized in business. The technology of Patent Document 1 does not manage sustainable materials, but is specialized in information management within one manufacturing site. Therefore, there is a demand for a management technology of environmental information such as CO2 emissions, which is used when manufacturing products by combining multiple raw materials available from multiple suppliers and adjusting their performance.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure, made in consideration of the above circumstances, is to provide a management device capable of managing the production or distribution of rubber products while taking into account environmental information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) A management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A management device for calculating an environmental friendliness index, which is a value indicating the degree to which a rubber product is environmentally friendly, and for managing production or distribution of the rubber product based on the environmental friendliness index, an acquisition unit that acquires raw material information including environmental information of raw materials of the rubber product, characteristic information that is information on characteristics including a compounding of the rubber product, and constraint information that is information on constraints related to the environmental compatibility index; a calculation unit that calculates the environmental compatibility index of the rubber product based on the raw material information and the characteristic information; and a determination unit that determines a combination of the raw materials or a distribution location that satisfies the constraints regarding the environmental compatibility index in the production or distribution of the rubber product based on the constraint information. This configuration makes it possible to manage the production or distribution of rubber products while taking environmental information into consideration.

[0007] (2) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (1), The environmental information of the raw materials includes CO2 emissions. With this configuration, it is possible to obtain CO2 emissions for raw materials containing sustainable materials and manage production or distribution based on the accurate CO2 emissions of rubber products.

[0008] (3) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (2), The CO2 emissions are managed in an individual data table for each of the raw materials. This configuration allows quick access to information about the CO2 emissions of the required raw materials.

[0009] (4) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (3), The CO2 emissions are managed so as to be segregated for each emitter. This configuration makes it easy to select the producer or transporter of raw materials while taking into account CO2 emissions.

[0010] (5) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (3), The CO2 emissions are managed separately for each process or transportation route in the tire manufacturing process. This configuration makes it possible to easily select a manufacturing process or a tire transportation route while taking into consideration CO2 emissions.

[0011] (6) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (5), The determination unit determines a sales region of the rubber product in which a constraint regarding the environmental friendliness index is satisfied. This configuration allows rubber products that have been manufactured while taking into consideration CO2 emissions to be used without waste.

[0012] (7) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in any one of (1) to (6), The environmental information of the raw materials includes a sustainability rate. With this configuration, the sustainability rate of raw materials can be obtained, and production or distribution can be managed based on the accurate sustainability rate of the rubber product.

[0013] (8) As an embodiment of the present disclosure, in (1), The environmental information of the raw materials is managed in a plurality of data tables having a general table structure, The plurality of data tables are linked via common items. This configuration allows for flexible data management. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a management device capable of managing the production or distribution of rubber products while taking into account environmental information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a management system including the management device of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of raw material information. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of characteristic information. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the constraint information. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the process of the management method executed by the management device. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining a general-purpose table structure. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a diagram for explaining the general-purpose table structure. [Figure 8A] FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating an example of a table in the case where multiple pieces of information are managed in association with each other. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating an example of a table in the case where multiple pieces of information are managed in association with each other. [Figure 8C] FIG. 8C is a diagram illustrating an example of a table in the case where multiple pieces of information are managed in association with each other. [Figure 8D] FIG. 8D is a diagram illustrating an example of a table in the case where multiple pieces of information are managed in association with each other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, a management device 10 (see FIG. 1) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same or corresponding parts will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a management device 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of a management system including the management device 10 of FIG. 1. The management device 10 calculates an environmental compatibility index, which is a value indicating how environmentally friendly a rubber product is, and manages the production or distribution of the rubber product based on the environmental compatibility index. The environmental compatibility index may be, for example, a rubber product's sustainability rate or a rubber product's CO2 emission amount, which is indicated by a numerical value, or a ranking based on such a numerical value (indicated by a symbol). Specific examples of the environmental compatibility index will be described later. The rubber product may be, for example, a tire 30, a seismic isolation rubber, or a crawler, but is not limited to these. There is a strong demand for the tire 30, the seismic isolation rubber, or the crawler to be made particularly sustainable. In the following, the rubber product will be described as a tire 30. The tire 30 is for a vehicle 20 such as a passenger car, a truck, or a bus, but may be for an aircraft, etc. The management system is configured to include a device (a computer as a specific example) used by a production and distribution entity in the supply chain of the tire 30. Here, the supply chain refers to a series of production and distribution processes until a rubber product such as the tire 30 reaches a consumer (user). The supply chain includes processes such as procurement of raw materials, manufacturing of rubber products, inventory management, distribution, and sales. Furthermore, the main actors in the supply chain of rubber products who are involved in production and distribution include, for example, manufacturers of raw materials, manufacturers of rubber products, and purchasers of rubber products.

[0018] Conventionally, the manufacturing management of rubber products is performed by combining the characteristic compounding amounts of raw materials according to the required specifications. The management device 10 according to the present embodiment can determine a combination of raw materials that satisfies the constraints of the environmental compatibility index. In addition, the management device 10 according to the present embodiment can determine a distribution location including a sales area, taking into consideration that the constraints of the environmental compatibility index differ depending on the region (including classification by continent, country, region, etc.). In other words, the management device 10 according to the present embodiment can determine a combination of raw materials and a distribution location that satisfies the constraints while objectively evaluating not only the required specifications but also the environmental friendliness of the rubber product. In addition, by configuring the system with a group of devices in the supply chain as shown in FIG. 2, the management device 10 can obtain raw material information and characteristic information about recycled raw materials and rubber products using such raw materials.

[0019] Here, as described above, the sustainable rate of the tire 30 or the like can be used as an environmental response index. The sustainable rate of the tire 30 is, for example, the ratio of the weight of the sustainable material in the weight of the entire tire 30, but the ratio of the blending amount of the sustainable material to other materials or the like may be used as necessary. The sustainable rate can be obtained not only for the tire 30 but also for each raw material used in the tire 30 from the blending amount ratio, weight ratio, etc. of the sustainable material. In this embodiment, the sustainable rate of the raw material is given by the manufacturer of the raw material, but it can also be calculated by the management device 10. The sustainable material refers to a material of the tire 30 that is not derived from a fossil resource. The sustainable material is a material that takes the natural environment into consideration, and includes, for example, a renewable material, a recycled material, and a biodegradable material, but is not limited to these. The renewable material is a renewable resource that can be the material of the tire 30, and includes a bio-derived material, i.e., an animal or plant-derived material. In addition, the recycled material is a material obtained by recycling. Regarding recycled materials, there is no restriction on the method of material recycling, chemical recycling, etc. Biodegradable materials are materials obtained from substances that have been decomposed by the activity of microorganisms, etc.

[0020] The management device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 includes an acquisition unit 131, a calculation unit 132, a determination unit 133, and an output unit 134. The management device 10 may be configured, for example, as a hardware configuration, with one or more computers. When the management device 10 is configured with a plurality of computers, the storage unit 12 may be a shared memory accessible by each of the computers. Details of the components of the management device 10 will be described later.

[0021] The management device 10 may constitute a management system together with a first server 50 and a second server 60 connected by a network 40. The network 40 is, for example, the Internet. The network 40 may be configured to include, for example, a part of a LAN (Local Area Network). The management system may further include a terminal device 70 connected by the network 40. The management system may further include an information providing device (for example, a computer of a national or local government) connected by the network 40. The information providing device may provide constraint information, which is information on constraints related to the environmental compatibility index. The constraint information may, for example, determine the lower limit rank of the environmental compatibility index of a rubber product that can be distributed in a certain region, or may, for example, determine the sustainability rate of a rubber product that can be distributed in a certain country.

[0022] Each of the first server 50 and the second server 60 is, for example, a computer separate from the management device 10. In this embodiment, the first server 50 is a computer of a supplier that supplies materials (raw materials) for the tire 30, and manages raw material information including information on the raw materials for the tire 30. In this embodiment, the second server 60 is a computer of a tire manufacturer that produces the tire 30, and manages characteristic information including information on the production of the tire 30. The management device 10 can acquire or share the raw material information and characteristic information via the network 40.

[0023] The terminal device 70 is, for example, a general-purpose mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but is not limited to such a mobile terminal as long as it has an imaging function. The terminal device 70 may be used by each worker when the tire 30 is shipped from a factory, when it is transported to a sales destination or a warehouse, when it is sold to a user, and when it is reused by retreading or recycling.

[0024] In this embodiment, the tire 30 is provided with an indicator 31 including an identifier 32. The indicator 31 may be attached to the tire 30 or may be printed on the tire 30. The terminal device 70 may capture an image of the identifier 32 attached to the tire 30 using an imaging function, and transmit the identifier 32 to the management device 10 via the network 40. The identifier 32 may be a two-dimensional code or the like. The identifier 32 is information that can identify each tire 30. For example, the model number of the tire 30 is identified by the identifier 32, and the management device 10 can accurately obtain information such as the composition of the tire 30 from the characteristic information. In other words, when a rubber product is manufactured using recycled raw materials, the management device 10 can obtain information such as the composition of the tire 30 that is the original of the recycled raw materials through the identifier 32. Here, the identifier 32 is not limited to the indicator 31, and may be obtained from a transmitter such as an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) or a chemical marker attached to the tire 30. When the identifier 32 is obtained from an RFID, indicator 31, or chemical marker provided on the tire 30, there is no need for an operator to take the trouble of, for example, manual input. When RFID is used, the terminal device 70 is a reader device that performs short-range (several centimeters to several meters) wireless communication using an electromagnetic field, radio waves, etc. Also, when RFID is used, the identifier 32 is a wirelessly transmitted signal that can identify the tire 30.

[0025] The components of the management device 10 will be described in detail below. The communication unit 11 includes one or more communication modules that connect to the network 40. The communication unit 11 may include a communication module that supports mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) and 5G (5th Generation). The communication unit 11 may include a communication module that supports wireless or wired LAN standards.

[0026] The storage unit 12 is one or more memories. The memory may be, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like, but is not limited to these and may be any memory. The storage unit 12 is, for example, built into the management device 10, but may also be configured to be accessed from the outside by the management device 10 via any interface.

[0027] The storage unit 12 stores various data used in various calculations performed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 may also store results and intermediate data of various calculations performed by the control unit 13.

[0028] In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 may store raw material information, characteristic information, and constraint information acquired via the communication unit 11.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating raw material information. The raw material information may be a table indicating what type of material each of the raw materials used in the manufacture of the tire 30 is (particularly, whether the raw materials are sustainable materials). In this embodiment, the raw material information includes environmental information of the raw materials of the tire 30. The environmental information of the raw materials may include CO2 emissions. In this case, the management device 10 acquires the CO2 emissions for the raw materials including the sustainable materials, and it becomes possible to manage the production or distribution based on the accurate CO2 emissions of the tire 30. Furthermore, the environmental information of the raw materials may include a sustainability rate. In this case, the management device 10 acquires the sustainability rate for the raw materials, and it becomes possible to manage the production or distribution based on the accurate sustainability rate of the tire 30. In this embodiment, the raw material information is provided by the manufacturer of the raw materials.

[0030] First, regarding the classification of materials, in the example of FIG. 3, a raw material named Ma (hereinafter, written as raw material Ma) is a renewable material (e.g., bio-derived). Raw material Mb is derived from recycling. Raw material Mc is derived from biodegradable sources. Furthermore, raw material Md is derived from fossil resources. In the example of FIG. 3, raw materials Ma, Mb, and Mc correspond to sustainable materials. Furthermore, a column for the type of each raw material may be provided. In the type column, for example, the type such as polymer, carbon black, zinc oxide, etc. may be written.

[0031] The sustainable rate is 100% for sustainable materials and 0% for non-sustainable materials. If the raw material is a mixture of sustainable and non-sustainable materials, the sustainable rate may be shown according to the mixture ratio and weight.

[0032] The amount of CO2 emissions may be indicated, for example, by the amount per a certain amount (1 kg, for example) of each raw material. The unit of the amount of CO2 emissions may be, for example, "kg-CO2", but is not limited to this. It is preferable that the amount of CO2 emissions is managed so that it can be separated for each emitter. In the example of FIG. 3, the amount of CO2 emissions (O W , O X , O Y , O Z In this case, the management device 10 can easily select the producer or transporter of the raw material while taking into consideration the amount of CO2 emissions. The subject of CO2 emissions may include multiple producers (manufacturers) that can supply the raw material Ma. For example, W and X are producers of different raw materials Ma, and their respective CO2 emissions (O W , O X ) are also different. The subject of CO2 emission may include multiple transporters (carriers) that transport the raw material Ma. For example, Y and Z are transporters of different raw materials Ma, and their respective CO2 emissions (O Y , O Z) are also different. Also, a transportation route may be associated with the transporter instead of or together with the transporter. By managing the CO2 emissions separately for each transportation route, it is possible to easily select a tire transportation route while taking the CO2 emissions into consideration.

[0033] In the example of Fig. 3, multiple raw materials are managed in one table. As another example, it is more preferable that the CO2 emissions are managed in a separate data table for each raw material. For example, when there are many producers and transporters, the amount of data contained in one table becomes large, and it may take time to access information on the desired raw material. By managing the CO2 emissions in a separate data table for each raw material, the management device 10 can quickly access information on the CO2 emissions of the required raw material.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of characteristic information. The characteristic information may be a table including the specifications and weights of raw materials for each type (model number) of tire 30. In the example of FIG. 4, for example, a tire 30 with model number Ta weighs 10 kg and is manufactured using 3 kg of raw materials Ma, 2 kg of raw materials Mb, and 5 kg of raw materials Md as materials. In other words, the characteristic information is information about the characteristics including the compounding of tire 30. Also, in the example of FIG. 4, the size and weight of tire 30 are shown, but the specifications of tire 30 are not limited to these items. Also, in the example of FIG. 4, the characteristic information includes the amount of CO2 emissions (O a1 , O a2 , O a3 , O a4 ) Based on such information, the management device 10 can accurately calculate the amount of CO2 emissions in the manufacture of the tire 30 even if the manufacturing method is changed. Furthermore, by managing the amount of CO2 emissions separately for each process in the tire manufacturing, it is possible to easily select a manufacturing process while taking the amount of CO2 emissions into consideration. Furthermore, the characteristic information may be managed in a different table for each model number or size of the tire 30. In this embodiment, the characteristic information is provided by the manufacturer of the tire 30.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of constraint information. The constraint information is information on constraints related to environmental friendliness indexes. In this embodiment, the environmental friendliness indexes are indicated by ranks A to C. Rank A indicates that the CO2 emissions of tire 30 are equal to or less than the standard emissions and the sustainability rate is equal to or greater than the standard value. Rank B indicates that only one of the conditions "CO2 emissions of tire 30 are equal to or less than the standard emissions" and "sustainability rate of tire 30 is equal to or greater than the standard value" is satisfied. Rank C indicates that neither of the conditions "CO2 emissions of tire 30 are equal to or less than the standard emissions" and "sustainability rate of tire 30 is equal to or greater than the standard value" is satisfied.

[0036] In the example of FIG. 5, there is a constraint that the environmental compatibility index of the tire 30 must be rank B or higher (rank A or rank B) in order to be sold in the region Ra. In addition, there is a constraint that the environmental compatibility index of the tire 30 must be rank A in order to be sold in the region Rb. In addition, there is a constraint that the sustainability rate of the tire 30 must be 30% or higher in order to be sold in the region Rc. However, there is no constraint regarding the environmental compatibility index in the region Rd. In this embodiment, the constraint information is acquired from the information providing device. Here, the constraint information may include not only constraints regarding the environmental compatibility index, but also constraints regarding the production plan of the tire 30 and the consumption plan of raw materials. The constraint information may include, for example, a lower limit of the production number of tires 30 destined for the region Rb as a constraint. In addition, the constraint information may include, for example, an upper limit of the production number of tires 30 as a constraint so that the raw material Ma is not insufficient in the production of tires 30 destined for the region Rc.

[0037] The control unit 13 is one or more processors. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process, but is not limited to these and may be any processor. The control unit 13 controls the overall operation of the management device 10.

[0038] Here, the management device 10 may have the following software configuration. One or more programs used to control the operation of the management device 10 are stored in the storage unit 12. When the program stored in the storage unit 12 is read by the processor of the control unit 13, it causes the processor to function as an acquisition unit 131, a calculation unit 132, a determination unit 133, and an output unit 134.

[0039] The acquiring unit 131 acquires the raw material information, the characteristic information, and the constraint information. The acquiring unit 131 may also acquire an identifier 32 (information that can identify the original tire 30 of the recycled raw material).

[0040] The calculation unit 132 calculates the environmental compatibility index of the tire 30 based on the raw material information and the characteristic information. For example, the calculation unit 132 calculates the sustainability rate of the tire 30 based on the raw material information and the characteristic information. According to the characteristic information in FIG. 4, for example, the tire 30 with the model number Ta weighs 10 kg and is manufactured using 3 kg of raw material Ma, 2 kg of raw material Mb, and 5 kg of raw material Md as materials. According to the raw material information in FIG. 3, the raw materials Ma and raw material Mb are sustainable materials, and the raw material Md is derived from fossil resources (non-sustainable material). For the tire 30 with the model number Ta, the calculation unit 132 calculates the environmental compatibility index, which is the ratio of the weight of sustainable materials (3 kg + 2 kg) to the weight of the tire 30 (10 kg), to be 50%.

[0041] For example, the calculation unit 132 calculates the CO2 emission amount of the tire 30 using the CO2 emission amount by subject and by manufacturing process of the raw material information and the characteristic information. Here, the calculation unit 132 may calculate the conditional CO2 emission amount (CO2 emission amount for each selection) when a selection is possible from a plurality of subjects or manufacturing processes. For example, in FIG. 3, for a plurality of producers (W, X) that can supply the raw material Ma, the CO2 emission amount (first emission amount) of the tire 30 when W is selected and the CO2 emission amount (second emission amount) of the tire 30 when X is selected may be calculated. Also, for example, in FIG. 4, for manufacturing processes (P1, P2) of which one is selected, the CO2 emission amount (third emission amount) of the tire 30 when P1 is selected and the CO2 emission amount (fourth emission amount) of the tire 30 when P2 is selected may be calculated.

[0042] In this embodiment, the calculation unit 132 compares the calculated sustainability rate with a standard value, and compares the calculated CO2 emissions with the standard emissions to determine an environmental friendliness index (ranks A to C). Here, an environmental friendliness index is calculated for each of a plurality of conditional CO2 emissions. The calculation unit 132 outputs the calculated environmental friendliness index to the determination unit 133. The calculation unit 132 also outputs the calculated sustainability rate and the calculated CO2 emissions together with the environmental friendliness index to the determination unit 133. Here, the environmental friendliness index as a rank in this embodiment is an example, and the sustainability rate or CO2 emissions of the tire 30 may be used as the environmental friendliness index as is, or may be indicated by a score based on these.

[0043] The determination unit 133 determines a combination of raw materials or a distribution location that satisfies the constraints on the environmental compatibility index in the production or distribution of the tire 30 based on the constraint information. For example, the determination unit 133 can determine a combination of raw materials in the manufacture of the tire 30 whose distribution location (sales area) is determined to be Rb. The determination unit 133 understands that the tire 30 needs to be ranked A as the environmental compatibility index from the constraint information (see FIG. 5). The determination unit 133 extracts a combination of CO2 emitters that will result in the environmental compatibility index received from the calculation unit 132 being ranked A, and sets the result as a determination result (i.e., a possible combination of raw materials). For example, in the case of manufacturing a tire 30 with a model number Ta, the producers of the raw materials Mb and Md are fixed to one company, and the CO2 emissions for the raw materials Mb and Md are determined. In this case, if the producer of the raw material Ma is W, the CO2 emissions will exceed the standard emissions, but if the producer of the raw material Ma is X, the CO2 emissions may be equal to or less than the standard emissions. In this case, the determination unit 133 determines the combination of raw materials, including the producer of the raw material Ma being X (selection of the producer). Similarly, the determination unit 133 may determine the combination of raw materials including the selection of a transporter and a selection of a manufacturing process. Furthermore, the determination unit 133 may determine the region (distribution location) where the tire 30, whose combination of raw materials has been determined, can be sold, etc., from the constraint information. For example, if the environmental compatibility index of the tire 30 is rank C, the determination unit 133 may determine the sales region as Rd from the constraint information (see FIG. 5). The determination unit 133 determines the sales region of the tire 30 where the constraints are satisfied, thereby enabling the rubber product manufactured while considering the amount of CO2 emissions to be used without waste. Furthermore, the determination unit 133 may determine both the combination of raw materials and the distribution location.

[0044] The determination unit 133 may also manage the sustainability rate and the CO2 emissions of the tire 30. That is, the determination unit 133 may also have a function as an information management unit. The CO2 emissions of the tire 30 may include the CO2 emissions due to distribution, but are managed so that at least the CO2 emissions during manufacturing can be extracted. The management performed by the determination unit 133 may include, for example, linking the sustainability rate and the CO2 emissions of the tire 30 with information such as the model number or identifier 32 of the tire 30 and storing them in the storage unit 12. The management performed by the determination unit 133 may also include updating the information and providing it to an external device. For example, in rubber products for which sustainability is strongly required, strict management of the sustainability rate and the CO2 emissions during manufacturing may be required. The management device 10 is capable of grasping and managing the usage rate of sustainable materials in rubber products together with the CO2 emissions during manufacturing.

[0045] Here, in the above example, the environmental information and the like are stored and managed in the storage unit 12. As another example of management, such environmental information and the like may be managed in a distributed manner. For example, the environmental information and the like may be stored and managed using block chain technology. Also, a storage area (cloud) on the network 40 may be used.

[0046] The output unit 134 outputs the determination result by the determination unit 133 to a display device or the like. The display device includes, for example, a display that can be viewed by a user of the management system. The user may be, for example, a manager of production or distribution of the tires 30. Furthermore, the displays of the first server 50, the second server 60, and the terminal device 70 may function as display devices that display the calculation results.

[0047] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the process of the management method executed by the control unit 13 of the management device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0048] The acquiring unit 131 acquires raw material information, property information, and constraint information (step S1).

[0049] The calculation unit 132 calculates the environmental friendliness index of the tire 30 based on the raw material information and the characteristic information (step S2).

[0050] The determination unit 133 determines the combination of raw materials or the distribution location that satisfies the constraint information (step S3). Here, the determination unit 133 can determine both the combination of raw materials and the distribution location. The determination unit 133 may also manage information related to the environmental friendliness index and may accumulate the determination result in the storage unit 12.

[0051] The output unit 134 outputs the determination result to a display device or the like (step S4). A manager of production or distribution of the tires 30 may formulate a production plan or a distribution plan based on the determination result.

[0052] As described above, the management device 10 of this embodiment, with the above-mentioned configuration, can manage the production or distribution of rubber products that are required to be made sustainable, taking into account environmental information of raw materials such as CO2 emissions and sustainability rate.

[0053] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications or corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications or corrections are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components can be combined into one or divided. The embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized as a method, a program, and a storage medium on which a program is recorded, which are executed by a processor included in the device. It should be understood that these are also included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0054] In the above embodiment, an example of managing the production or distribution of rubber products taking environmental information into consideration has been described using the data tables of FIGS. 3 to 5. Here, the configuration of the data tables is not limited to that shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. In order to enable more flexible data management, for example, environmental information of raw materials (CO2 emissions, sustainability rate, etc.) may be managed in multiple data tables of a general table structure, and the multiple data tables may be linked via common items. As an example, the multiple data tables may have a code represented by a letter, a symbol, a number, or a combination of these as a common item. The multiple data tables are linked via the code. Here, as in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the code may be a raw material code that individually corresponds to the raw material name or the type of raw material. The general table structure is a table having general items. For example, one data table may have a configuration in which the items are a code, a label, and an attribute. The label and the attribute are general items, and a specific value according to the content of the label is input to the attribute. For example, as in FIG. 7A, the content of the label may be a production area, a molecular weight, CO2, a production manufacturer, a particle size, etc. In one row of the data table, if the label is, for example, place of origin, then country A may be entered into the attribute. In another row of the data table, if the label is, for example, CO2, then 3 kg, which is the amount of CO2 emitted, may be entered into the attribute. Codes are further associated with these combinations of labels and attributes. And, for example, another data table may associate raw material names with codes. By linking these data tables via codes, for example, information equivalent to the data tables of Figures 3 to 5 can be obtained.

[0055] 8A to 8D are diagrams illustrating tables in which multiple pieces of information are associated and managed. The data table may be configured such that several tables are associated and managed, and desired information can be obtained by combining them via common items. For example, the table relating to components in FIG. 8A is associated with the table relating to rubber and reinforcing materials in FIG. 8B via a component code. The table in FIG. 8B is associated with the table relating to raw material ratios in FIG. 8C via a rubber code. The table in FIG. 8C is associated with the table relating to sustainability rates in FIG. 8D via a material code. For example, the sustainability rate of a certain component can be obtained by combining the tables in FIG. 8A to 8D via common items. Here, an example relating to sustainability rates has been shown with reference to FIG. 8A to 8D, but a similar table configuration can be adopted for other environmental information such as CO2 emissions. Contribution to the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

[0056] The SDGs have been proposed to realize a sustainable society. One embodiment of the present disclosure is considered to be a technology that can contribute to "No. 9 Build infrastructure for industry and technological innovation." [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10 Management device 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control section 20 Vehicles 30 Tires 31 Indicators 32 Identifier 40 Network 50 First Server 60 Second Server 70 Terminal Equipment 131 Acquisition Department 132 Calculation section 133 Judgment section 134 Output section

Claims

1. A management device for calculating an environmental friendliness index, which is a value indicating the degree to which a rubber product is environmentally friendly, and for managing production or distribution of the rubber product based on the environmental friendliness index, an acquisition unit that acquires raw material information including environmental information of raw materials of the rubber product, characteristic information that is information on characteristics including a compounding of the rubber product, and constraint information that is information on constraints related to the environmental compatibility index; a calculation unit that calculates the environmental compatibility index of the rubber product based on the raw material information and the characteristic information; and a determination unit that determines, based on the constraint information, a combination of the raw materials or a distribution location where the constraint regarding the environmental compatibility index in the production or distribution of the rubber product is satisfied.

2. The environmental information of the raw materials is CO ２ The management device of claim 1 , further comprising an emission amount.

3. The CO ２ The management device according to claim 2 , wherein the discharge amount is managed in an individual data table for each of the raw materials.

4. The CO ２ The management device according to claim 3 , wherein the emission amount is managed so as to be separable for each emission entity.

5. The CO ２ The management device according to claim 3 , wherein the emission amount is managed so as to be separable for each process or transportation route in tire manufacturing.

6. The management device according to claim 1 , wherein the determining unit determines a sales region of the rubber product in which a constraint regarding the environmental compatibility index is satisfied.

7. The management device according to claim 1 , wherein the environmental information of the raw materials includes a sustainability rate.

8. The environmental information of the raw materials is managed in a plurality of data tables having a general table structure, The management device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of data tables are linked via a common item.

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