Veröffentlichungen

Die Nachverfolgbarkeit (engl. traceability) von Produkten entlang ihres Lebenszyklus ist eine Grundvoraussetzung für zahlreiche Anwendungsfelder: der Ermöglichung von Kreislaufwirtschaftsprozessen, dem Schutz vor Produktpiraterie und der zielgerichteten Qualitätssicherung. Jedoch existieren über die gesetzlich vorgeschriebenen Standards hinaus wenig umfassende Lösungen, um Produkte unternehmensübergreifend nachzuverfolgen. Dieser Beitrag zeigt ein Konzept zur strukturierten Konzeption, Implementierung und Bewertung solcher Traceability-Systeme.

Recently, traceability systems have become more common, but their prevalence and design vary significantly depending on the industry. Different law and customer-based requirements for traceability systems have led to diverse standards. This contribution offers a framework to compare the state of traceability systems in different industries. A comparison of industry characteristics, motivations for traceability system implementation, common data management, and identification systems are offered. Upon that analysis, the potential of cross-industry traceability systems and approaches is identified. This extended usage of traceability systems supports the quality assurance, process management and counterfeit protection and thus expands customer value.

Automating traceability-based decision-making can shorten the reaction time to supply chain disruptions. This paper develops a framework for choosing automated decision-making (ADM) methods based on traceability data. It contains a toolbox comprising methods suitable for ADM, respective selection criteria and a new process to select a suitable ADM method based on companies’ requirements. This process is based on an evaluation matrix matching methods and criteria. As a result, the ADM framework suggests the most suitable method to automate a specifically chosen decision. The developed framework is validated in the supply chain of a globally operating truck manufacturer.

The sustainability of industrial processes and products is a core issue of our time. There are several approaches to move from a linear, inherently wasteful economic principle to a circular economy focused on conserving products, resources, and energy. However, selecting which of the circular economy strategies ranging from reuse, repurpose, and remanufacture to recycling is crucial to ensure the economic viability of the product. This contribution proposes an iterative, component-based circular economy strategy selection method that supports product and production planners in choosing the appropriate circular economy strategy. For this approach, the suitability of each component for circular economy strategies is assessed based on identified key properties. In case of no fitting strategy, further component decomposition is devised, and the process is repeated. To further support the design of circular economy strategies, a modular process build set is suggested, enabling the swift composition of the processing sequence. The approach is then applied to the example of an electric motor of a battery electric vehicle. The presented approach allows a quick first assessment of the viability of different circular economy strategies and helps product and production engineers develop product-specific circular economy strategies.