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Machine Tool Transition from Industry 3.0 to 4.0: A Comparison between Old Machine Retrofitting and the Purchase of New Machines from a Triple Bottom Line Perspective
- Source :
- Sustainability, Vol 13, Iss 10441, p 10441 (2021), Sustainability, Volume 13, Issue 18
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2021.
-
Abstract
- The emerging scenario designed by digital technologies connected to Industry 4.0 is pushing towards increasingly sustainable companies. Access to the multiple benefits of digitalization (such as increased productivity, flexibility, efficiency, quality, lower consumption of resources, and the improvement of worker safety) is possible by purchasing new-generation machinery. However, thanks to smart retrofitting processes, companies can extend the shelf life of machinery without replacing it entirely. This work aims to present a framework to assess the sustainability of implementing a smart retrofitting process in old machines as an alternative to replacement from a triple bottom line (economic, environmental, and social) perspective. Due to the multidimensional and multidisciplinary variables that the proposed framework must consider, a multicriteria decision-making process is developed to identify the best transition solution from Industry 3.0 to 4.0. Then, we analyze a case study in which, thanks to the previously proposed methodology, two types of smart retrofitting on a column drill are compared with three replacement options for the same machine tool. In conclusion, the case study shows that retrofitting in the context of Industry 4.0 (or smart retrofitting), despite its high acquisition cost, is the best solution in terms of sustainability, and that this is because the smart retrofitting solution not only positively influences all parameters of digitization but also has a strong impact on the safety criterion.
- Subjects :
- Flexibility (engineering)
Industry 4.0
Environmental effects of industries and plants
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Process (engineering)
Computer science
Triple bottom line
Geography, Planning and Development
TJ807-830
Context (language use)
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
sustainability
TD194-195
smart retrofitting
digitalization
Manufacturing engineering
Purchasing
Renewable energy sources
Environmental sciences
Sustainability
Retrofitting
GE1-350
end-of-life management
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20711050
- Volume :
- 13
- Issue :
- 10441
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Sustainability
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....3940571e1e385aefd74d1aa75306101f