Strategiskt innovationsprogram: Samlar Sverige för hållbar och konkurrenskraftig produktion

Sustainability Parameters for Parts analyses and Selection for Additive Manufacturing (SPARSAM)

Concept of automatic logistics management.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been around for decades without any disruptive impact on the supply chain on a larger system level. But the maturity of the AM technology is today driving the adoption from being a tool for 3D-visualization and prototyping towards industrial large-scale manufacturing of components and products.

To identify which parts are valuable to produce with AM, both technical and business selection criteria’s needs to be used. The criteria´s today is dominated by technical aspects such as: complexity of shape, need for low weight and potential for parts consolidation. The technical selection criteria’s are well explored but the industry and the industrial partners are struggling with a shortage of methods and models to calculate the business and sustainability values of a part produced with AM. Examples of business and sustainability values are: production on demand, minimized inventory waste, increased parts availability, reduced lead time, less transports, reduced air freight, improved resilience, circular use of materials and parts, reduced emissions, and new business opportunities.

The lack of system perspective in the value calculation makes it difficult to compare an AM driven circular production since important values is left out from the equation.

The transformation towards localized, circular and demand driven supply chains thru AM can be described in scenarios with different sustainability and business impacts. RISE AM-center has in collaboration with the partners: Chalmers, Volvo Cars, Alfa Laval and Volvo Trucks identified 4 supply chain scenarios that will form the basis for the project:

  • Scenario 1 – Today the production paradigm is a linear supply chain with centralized production in a factory with conventional mass-production technologies and global supply chain. Used as baseline and comparison with scenario 2-4.
  • Scenario 2 – Factory: AM is introduced as a production technology in a central factory to enable more demand driven, lean and circular production.
  • Scenario 3 – Distribution Center: The demand driven circular production is distributed closer to the customer e.g at a main distribution center or a regional hub.
  • Scenario 4 – Dealer/Retailer: The demand driven circular production is distributed to dealer/retailer/workshop level close to the customers.

The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility to extend the established technical selection criteria with parameters from new supply chain solutions, sustainability, and circular value criteria’s. This will be done thru exploring the feasibility of a method and model to calculate the supply chain values and sustainability gains for the scenarios (2-4) and compare it with the linear scenario (1). By working with the scenarios, the project will show alternatives to the prevailing linear norm and view of supply chains within the manufacturing and logistic industry. In step 2 the selected cases will be used to execute project to transform the traditional linear structure to the scenarios. By using the model in the cases, the actual gains can be measured from a system perspective comparing with the model based calculations. The restructuring also provides an opportunity to integrate and implement the gender perspective, to further increase competitiveness in a male dominated industry.

The purpose of the project is to propel the transformation of the linear supply chain towards a more resource-efficient and flexible production system which enables integrated development, circular production, and improved maintenance.

Projektledare
Markus Eriksson, RISE
[email protected]
+46 73 398 23 36

Vi som samverkar
→ RISE
→ Chalmers University of Technology
→ Volvo Cars
→ Volvo AB
→ Alfa Laval

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