Open Access

Colette S. Vogeler, Uwe Dombrowski, Alexander Karl, Nils C. Bandelow

• The construction of factories is based on the factory planning process. A new construction of factories or their expansion represents a significant investment decision for companies. Therefore, it is necessary from an economic point of view to allow a trouble-free flow. Current trends, such as urban factories, increase the likelihood of conflict with external stakeholders. In many cases, this means high additional costs and risks for the companies concerned. The evaluation of current case studies shows that ignoring individual stake-holders during planning can lead to delays or, in the worst-case scenario, to the shutdown of the factory project. The aim of this article is to present the current state of stakeholder integration in factory planning, construction, and factory operations in research and practice. Based on the results of a research project in Germany, studies are presented and necessary fields of action identified. Subsequently, a concept is derived that facilitates the systematic and project-specific integration of stakeholders into the factory planning process.