| Abstract |
To date, a limited number of in-depth case studies addressing the end-of-life management of heavy vehicles has been reported in the scientific literature. An action research approach is conducted in collaboration with an emerging international remanufacturing center of heavy handling machines to bring a contribution to this gap in a circular economy perspective. This industrial pilot study considers the entire end-of-life management of a whole heavy vehicle, from the dismantling to the recovery of used parts, through remanufacturing. It illustrates as such the multiple dimensions to consider when closing-the-loop on heavy vehicles, namely: technical and organizational knowledge (e.g., infrastructures, tooling, dismantling process and remanufacturing feasibility), as well as economic considerations (e.g., solutions to optimize the value recovered according to market needs, through the identification of potential recovery channels). To do so, a multi-scale modeling is proposed, taking into account: (i) the condition of the used vehicle and residual values of key components, (ii) the dismantling process and capabilities, (iii) the possible end-of-life options and associated market. A first dismantling operation on a worn-out 8-ton forklift truck is performed and closely analyzed to identify hotspots and areas for improvement. Based on that and taking inspiration from the best practices of the automotive recycling sector, a new dismantling process is designed including improvement in terms of organisation, resources used, disassembly time, and comfort for the operator. This newly proposed process is then tested and validated through a second dismantling experimentation on a similar forklift truck. Moreover, a practical spreadsheet, to be used by the industrialist, is proposed and applied as a decision-making support tool to compare and select the most appropriate end-of-life pathways for recovered components according to the economic aspects of each circular option, among reuse, remanufacturing and material recovery. Eventually, lessons learnt from this industrial case study open up on broader implications and challenges (e.g., the applicability, generalization and scaling-up of commendable practices from one industrial sector to another) to achieve a more advanced circular economy in the heavy vehicle industry. |