The increasing awareness of customers toward climate change effects, the high demand instability affecting several industrial sectors, and the fast automation and digitalization of production systems are forcing companies to re-think their business strategies and models in view of both the Circular Economy (CE) and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) paradigms. Some studies have already assessed the relations between CE and I4.0, their benefits, and barriers. However, a practical demonstration of their potential impact in real contexts is still lacking. The aim of this paper is to present a laboratory application case showing how I4.0-based technologies can support CE practices by virtually testing a waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) disassembly plant configuration through a set of dedicated simulation tools. Our results highlight that service-oriented, event-driven processing and information models can support the integration of smart and digital solutions in current CE practices at the factory level.

Digital Twin (DT) is considered a key approach to enhance the system reactivity to uncertain events due to its ability to getting data from the field and triggering actions on the physical asset. Given the modern technological and rapidly changing work environment, it is likely that in the next years companies will need to retrofit their manufacturing systems by integrating DTs. In this context, it is fundamental to define the necessary steps for the development of DTs and for their integration into manufacturing systems through a DT architecture. In response to this issue, a methodology based on Virtual Commissioning is proposed. A stepwise approach is illustrated in which the DT is designed, integrated and verified using a virtual environment. The methodology is validated through the integration of a DT into a flow shop for the implementation of a scheduling reactive to machine breakdown. By following the steps of the proposed methodology, a DT architecture able to improve the makespan of the studied flow shop is developed, suggesting the potential applicability of the approach to industrial manufacturing systems.

Purpose: – Spare parts management plays a relevant role for equipment-intensive companies. An important step of such process is the spare parts classification, enabling properly managing different items by taking into account their peculiarities. The purpose of this paper is to review the state of the art of classification of spare parts for manufacturing equipment by presenting an extensive literature analysis followed by an industrial assessment, with the final aim to identify eventual discrepancies. Design/methodology/approach: – Not only is the attention put on the literature about the subject, but also on an on-field analysis, that is presented comprehending an extensive survey and two in-depth exploratory case studies. The copper mining sector was chosen being representative for the case of capital intensive plants where the cost of maintenance has relevant weight on the total operating cost. Findings: – The paper highlights the status of the scientific literature on spare parts classification by showing the current situation in the real industrial world. The paper depicts the existing barriers that leave gaps between theory and real practice for the application of an effective multi-criteria spare parts classification. Originality/value: – The paper provides a review of the theory on spare parts classification methods and criteria, as well as empirical evidences especially for what concern current situation and barriers for an effective implementation in the industrial environment. The paper should be of interest to both academics and practitioners, since it provides original insights on the discrepancies between scientific and industrial world.