Cost Assessment Tool for Sustainable Manufacturing (CATS)

This tool uses techniques from ASTM E3200 for evaluating manufacturing investments from the perspective of environmentally sustainable manufacturing by pairing economic methods of investment analysis with environmental aspect of manufacturing, which is also described in NISTS AMS 200-11. The economic techniques used include net present value, internal rate of return, payback period, and hurdle rate. These four techniques are deterministic, meaning that they deal with known values that are certain. The tool also conducts a sensitivity analysis using Monte Carlo techniques. The tool answers questions such as:

• Is a new heating, cooling, and ventilation (HVAC) system cost effective and environmentally sustainable?
• I have 5 projects with varying costs and levels of sustainability. I can only afford 2 of them. Which ones do I choose?