Order Processing in Circular Production: Development of a Configuration Framework

Procedia CIRP, vol. 130, pp. 1680–1686

Abstract

In the face of rising resource costs and the need for a higher level of economic and ecological sustainability, circular production presents a solution that benefits both companies and customers. Circular production strategies such as remanufacturing and re-assembly enable companies to decouple creation of industrial wealth from resource consumption. To achieve this, products must be enabled to undergo several use cycles between which they can be modified by the company. This only succeeds if suitable processes are in place to return the product to the company, modify it, and put it back into use for a customer. The totality of these processes represents order processing in circular production. To date, the establishment of a suitable order processing for circular production has been limited by a lack of understanding of its scope and the available design possibilities. In addition, the various design decisions along order processing must be made in coordination with each other and with the individual characteristics of the company. Only a holistically configured order processing will work successfully. This paper aims to demonstrate how a configuration framework can support companies in the establishment of order processing in circular production. For this purpose, the scope of order processing in linear production is expanded to include additional processes specific to circular production, such as reconfiguration of products or reverse logistics. The expanded scope forms the foundation for the development of the configuration framework. The framework characterizes relevant influences and decisions through defining features. For each feature, possible specifications are identified, resulting in a morphological box. Configuration profiles are introduced to address the interdependencies between the specifications of different features. Finally, companies are enabled to select a suitable configuration profile and are supported in the individual configuration within this profile.

Authors 4

1. Tim Hommen corresponding Aachen Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University, Campus-Boulevard 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany

2. Michael Riesener Aachen Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University, Campus-Boulevard 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany

3. Seth Schmitz Aachen Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University, Campus-Boulevard 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany

4. Henning Neumann Aachen Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL)

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University, Campus-Boulevard 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany