The considered product-process-plant integrated framework
 envisages sustainability as an underlying common element. Particularly, the activities carried out propose a holistic approach, which considers not only key elements such as productivity, cost and quality but also environmental and social principles, in the conception, evaluation and management of production systems and their value chains. The adopted methodology is supported by the development and use of dedicated software tools for the design and analysis of manufacturing solutions and collaborative value chains through advanced planning systems as well as simulation and visualization instruments.