Increased circular behaviours in Small and Medium-sized (SME) manufacturing companies would strongly contribute to a more circular economy. However, previous research has identified that the development and adoption of a circular economy hindered by behavioural barriers on organisational as well as individual level. With a specific focus on cemented carbide tooling that is frequently used in machining operations, this paper aims to identify actors and interactions between actors that influence circular behaviours related to acquisition, utilisation, and end-of-life activities in manufacturing companies and how circular behaviour can be enabled based on these roles. Findings show that there are several actors with the potential to positively influence the transition to a circular economy if they adopt pro-circular behaviours, e.g. Operators, production planners, production technicians, as well as top management. Also, purchasing professionals are a central actor deeply involved in both recommendations and execution of decisions particularly related to acquisition activities; a framework for intervention is suggested to enable circular behaviours at all organisation levels based on organisational hierarchy and control planned behaviour theory (TPB).

In the assembly of the battery pack for an Electric Vehicle (EV) ensuring the correct placement of key components such as battery modules, module connectors, thermal insulation, etc., is crucial for operational efficiency and safety. Out of these components mica plates, which are used for thermal insulation, and busbars, which are used for connecting one module to another, stand out in terms of their utility and safety features. However, during assembly, mica plates or busbars are occasionally missing from their predefined position, and this can lead to significant operational inefficiencies and safety risks. If any of these two parts is missing, then it may cause damage not only to the module but also to other parts in operation. So, the detection of missing parts early in the assembly process is important to address this issue of detecting missing parts efficiently. Thus, here the authors explore the utility of vision systems with Deep Learning (DL) algorithms as they have proven to have a better edge over traditional vision systems. YOLOv8 (You Only Look Once) was utilised due to its exceptional speed and accuracy in object detection, which is essential in high-paced operations to enhance the model’s performance and robustness. Also, a series of data augmentation steps such as geometric transformations, lighting adjustments, etc. to create a data set big enough to ensure the model’s effectiveness under varying conditions and assembly configurations, and Bayesian Optimization was used for selecting the hyperparameters. To analyze the model’s performance four parameters namely mAP-50, Precision, Recall, and mAP50-95, were compared.

Remanufacturing is a strategy for advancing the circular economy, enabling the restoration of used products to meet or exceed original specifications. This study explores the challenges and enablers OERs (Original Equipment Remanufacturers) face in developing remanufacturing systems at their production sites. By adopting a system-oriented perspective, the paper contributes to understanding remanufacturing as a transformation system involving human, technical, informational, management and goal systems. It bridges gaps in existing research on hybrid systems capable of handling both new and remanufactured products. Through two case studies conducted at OERs in Sweden, the research identifies challenges such as dependence on manual labour, equipment limitations, variability in core quality, and inefficiencies in information systems. Enablers like hands-on training, ERP system adaptations, strategic outsourcing, and cross-functional collaboration are also highlighted. The study presents a unified framework with actionable insights to guide OERs in the early stages of developing remanufacturing processes into their operations.

The green transition necessitates manufacturing companies to address climate change and incorporate sustainable and resilient solutions into their production. The best opportunity to achieve such solutions in production is during development, especially in greenfield projects with fewer constraints from existing production solutions. So far, the knowledge of how to achieve this is limited. Therefore, this paper aims to elaborate on how manufacturing companies can attain sustainable and resilient production. The focus is on development practices in greenfield projects and their relation to active ownership, collaboration and learning, potentially supporting the lasting impact of change initiatives.

The paper builds on results from a multiple case study, including three greenfield production development projects. A research design, involving 22 semi-structured interviews and four workshops, was applied. An analytical framework was developed to support the analysis, including active ownership, collaboration and learning. In total, 21 different development practices were identified and categorised into active ownership, collaboration, and learning. The paper contributes a new perspective on production development. As an alternative to the traditional planning-and-control perspective, a learning perspective on production development was applied, which is increasingly required for production development processes addressing new domains, such as the green transition.

Remanufacturing is a key value retention process that helps transition to a circular value chain by retaining the inherited value of products. However, recent studies indicate a lack of accurate and accessible information and information systems to facilitate the industrialization of remanufacturing. Information management is crucial, as accurate and accessible information must be securely gathered. This study investigates the types of information crucial to the successful industrialization of remanufacturing systems, focusing on two studies including in total four cases. The empirical findings emphasize the importance of information from the user phase, such as parts needing repair, damage alerts, and expected product life. This information is vital for planning and executing remanufacturing activities, as it helps assess the condition of returned products. Moreover, the study identifies several main challenges. Firstly, a lack of direct contact with end customers hinders the collection of information required for the remanufacturing activities. Secondly, the involvement of multiple actors in the value chain complicates tracing products back to end customers and gathering relevant information. Thirdly, high-variant, low-volume products pose challenges for remanufacturing within existing manufacturing systems, requiring reevaluation of practices and employee skills as volumes increase. Additionally, customization adds complexity to tracking, product returns, and remanufacturing, increasing costs and limiting resale potential.

This study addresses a critical gap in the literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of the organizational opportunities and challenges linked to increasing digitalization within the context of New Product Introduction (NPI), with a particular focus on large organizations within the manufacturing industry. The study introduces a framework that integrates opportunities, challenges, and tentative mechanisms associated with digitalization, employing a sociotechnical perspective that considers the interdependencies among tools/technology, processes, and people. This holistic approach highlights the multifaceted nature of digitalization and emphasizes the necessity of balancing these dimensions to achieve successful NPI outcomes. By adopting a sociotechnical perspective on increasing digitalization during NPI, the study underscores the complexity of digitalization challenges, which span technological, process-related, and human factors. The framework extends existing research and offers valuable insights for academics and practitioners, facilitating a deeper understanding of digitalization's complexities in large manufacturing organizations.

One way to decrease the need for virgin materials in a circular value chain is remanufacturing of products. Before products in a circular value chain can be remanufactured, they must be assessed for quality and possible contamination from their use. This assessment involves tracking unique information for each product, which must be managed in the remanufacturing process. In the remanufacturing system, this information must be efficiently managed not only for the remanufacturing process itself but also for creating a future digital product passport. Remanufacturing in a circular value chain demands information exchange between different stakeholders as well as within a remanufacturing process. This paper aims to explore information management aspects within the remanufacturing process that contribute to a circular value chain. This study is based on a literature review in the interdisciplinary fields of information management and remanufacturing within the context of a circular value chain. The result indicates a need for managing information in collaboration including tracking, collecting and storing it, but also a need for defining what type of information to be collected where and for what purpose to be used by whom throughout the circular value chain.

The textile industry includes SMEs, which play an important role worldwide in the economy and society. However, their activities can contribute to some environmental issues, like climate change, and resource scarcity, which are lately at the center of attention. Due to increasing pressure from governments and society regarding sustainability issues, textile SMEs need to become sustainable, and one solution to achieve sustainability is transitioning towards circularity in production. Nevertheless, textile SMEs encounter numerous challenges and enablers on their journey towards circularity, particularly in areas like production systems where knowledge remains insufficient. Thus, this paper aims to identify the challenges and enablers faced by textile SMEs in transitioning towards circular production systems. This study is based on a literature study, workshops, and interviews with Swedish textile SMEs. The results show that textile SMEs encounter seven challenges towards circular production systems, including a lack of knowledge and awareness, limited resources, limited access to technology, complexity of input and finished product, a lack of proper regulations and strategy, a lack of collaboration among stakeholders, and a lack of interest and support from stakeholders and customers. In contrast, education, collaboration, supportive regulations, and circular production system design can be considered as enablers for their transition.

Implementing remanufacturing as a strategy to achieve circularity in manufacturing companies offers significant benefits in terms of both environmental sustainability and financial performance. However, the development of sustainable remanufacturing systems is accompanied by various complexities and challenges. Companies engaged in remanufacturing must consider solutions that address the three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. Moreover, they need to tackle the unique characteristics associated with remanufacturing systems. This paper aims to investigate aspects covered in existing studies related to the development of sustainable remanufacturing systems. The methodology involves a literature review focusing on three aspects: (1) the triple bottom line of sustainability; (2) capabilities required for establishment of a sustainable remanufacturing system; (3) enablers that can support the development of a sustainable remanufacturing system. By classifying the published literature and conducting a thorough analysis, this paper provides valuable insights for practitioners and researchers, facilitating the creation and accumulation of knowledge in the field of sustainable remanufacturing systems. Furthermore, the paper aims to underscore the significance of this area of research and identify potential avenues for future investigation.

Metal cutting industry, a key sector in manufacturing, is grappling with the transition to a "net-zero industry" to mitigate climate change and reach sustainable practices. Rare and exclusive materials make recycling and reusing cutting tools more pressing and necessitate efficient circular material flows. The purpose of this research is to explore how collaboration can facilitate circularity in the cutting tool industry. It examines the involvement of stakeholders and their roles in achieving a circular lifecycle for cutting tools. To investigate the interaction between metal cutting tools suppliers and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), this study used a mixed-methods approach that includes data from literature, interviews, and document study. Empirical data is gathered to investigate the factors driving circularity and to identify important participants in the lifecycle of cutting tools. The study revealed challenges to the current situation including underutilization of tools due to the absence of a standardization process and subjective operator judgment, as well as lack of traceability of the tools both internally at SMEs and between the stakeholders. Moreover, by mapping the current actors, the study found cutting tool traceability, undirected decision-making throughout tool lifecycles, and limited awareness of circularity dimensions are key challenges. To handle these challenges. 9Rs circular economy framework used to investigate the possible role of collaboration emerges as a vital enabler for circularity, with SMEs playing a significant role. Moreover, the involvement of machine operators, often overlooked actors, is found to be crucial in influencing circular outcomes. Digital solutions and collaborative strategies that involve CNC machine suppliers and intermittent refurbishing business are pivotal in overcoming the challenges identified, namely, traceability and human subjectivity in tool condition assessment. The study demonstrates that technology providers, intermediary refurbishing businesses, SMEs and other stakeholders operating in the metal cutting tools sector must be involved throughout their lifetime to avoid suboptimal results, exchange information, and inspire industrial actors to support the circular economy.