RemanLab – Conceptualization and Realization of a Learning Factory for Remanufacturing

With global waste volumes expected to increase to 3.40 billion tons by 2050 and global resource scarcity, the demand for circular products and sustainable business models is rising. In this context, remanufacturing, as a key element of a circular economy, is a promising End-of-Life (EoL) strategy that enables a new life cycle of products and components, thus reducing the consumption of natural resources and minimizing the quantity of waste. However, individual product usage profiles and variable environmental influences lead to highly varying product conditions and increased complexity in the production environment. Hence, to master the uncertainties in the production environment of remanufacturing processes, a holistic view, methods, and tools specifically for remanufacturing are required. The new RemanLab as presented in this paper provides professionals and students with insights into the complexity of the entire process chain of remanufacturing, from incoming inspection to disassembly, cleaning, testing, reconditioning, reassembly, and final inspection. The RemanLab offers a realistic learning environment based on a real-life application of remanufacturing electric bicycle motors and a didactic concept that covers relevant remanufacturing tools and methods. Group-based, activity-oriented scenarios enable the participants to put the learnings into practice within their professional environments. Hence, RemanLab promotes the transfer of proven best practices from applied research to the industry and spreads the idea of remanufacturing.