Logistic Visibility for Circularity (LOVIS4C)

Project summary

Resource exhaustion and environmental destruction are threatening the longevity of the current world. Following the principles of a circular economy (CE) are considered as an effective measure to encounter these sustainability issues. These principles involves effective utilization of resources in production and elimination of waste streams by encouraging a closed resource loop. Products are introduce again in the market after consumption or effectively handled to reduce waste through the value retention strategies, such as repair, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling.

Nevertheless, to adopt CE principles and reach the sustainability targets, manufacturer along with other supply chain actors need increased visibility and transparency in the CE flows to better monitor and control product and material flow. These would require identifying, capturing and sharing key data throughout the close-loop supply chains.

Manufacturer and other supply chain actors can leverage the visibility data for (a) process control, like risk assessment, inspections, quality monitoring or enforcing compliance, (b) to track and trace the product, including origin and actual raw material composition that is important for effective recycling; (c) monitoring / controlling flow of inbound material, for effective resource utilization, including virgin and recycled/refurbished raw material.

Establishing such visibility in manufacturing and logistics process is a challenging task pertaining to low digitalization, silo mentality and information fragmentation. Attending visibility throughout the close-loop supply chain would require a systematic approach while involving various supply chain actors.

Addressing this issue, the project Logistic Visibility for Circularity (LOVIS4C) aims to examine how resource consumption and environmental impact from extended production systems (including repair, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling) can be minimized through supply chain information sharing and visibility. It further focuses on realizing the role of information visibility as an important factor for supply chains circularity and sustainability especially for inbound logistics operations. LOVIS4C is built on two major Vinnova-funded projects with multiple industrial partners: First, Production logistics visibility – LOVIS (funded under Produktion2030 and included in IVA’s 100 List 2021) focused on analyzing impact of internal and external visibility in linear supply chain.

Second, Future of sharing schedule information in automotive industry supply chains using advanced data analytics (funded under FFI), focused on visualizing demand requirement data in the supply chain using advanced analytics. LOVIS4C is a feasibility study with prime objective of defining a larger R&I project. The consortium for the feasibility study is especially formulated to bring in multiple perspective concerning visibility in CE.

The study would follow a Delphi approach to identify critical planning and control processes, key decisions, performance indicators, evaluate level and extent of ‘intelligence’/predictability and technology requirements concerning visibility while considering their impact on and relevance with circularity. During the feasibility study, additional industrial and institute partners will be included while detailing the full R&I project, as well as measures taken to ensure a gender balanced project team for the full project.

Projektledare
Magnus Wiktorsson, KTH
[email protected]
+46 8 790 94 28

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