A multiple lifecycle-based approach to sustainable product configuration design

Abstract Research on end-of-life (EoL) product recovery has focused on adopting reuse, remanufacturing, and/or recycling after product use. These product EoL strategies need to be considered early during product design in order to reduce the total lifecycle cost, minimize environmental impact, and enhance overall product sustainability. Considering the implementation of such EoL strategies across multiple lifecycles of a product will enable maximum recovery of the materials and embedded energy from previous lifecycle products for use in subsequent lifecycle products. Such practices can help companies increase global manufacturing competitiveness and promote corporate social responsibility for more sustainable economic growth. However, a multi-lifecycle based approach to product configuration design optimization, simultaneously considering conflicting objectives, has not been well addressed in previous studies. In this study, a multi-lifecycle based methodology is proposed to solve multi-objective product configuration design problems considering conflicting economic and environmental objectives. The methodology addresses issues across all the lifecycle stages, from extracting raw materials to product EoL recovery (i.e., pre-manufacturing, manufacturing, use, and post-use), and the entire demand cycle. The multi-objective optimization problem can be solved by introducing a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II using which various product design solutions can be generated by considering the tradeoff between several objectives. The proposed methodology is implemented on an industrial case study for the configuration design of toner cartridges. The Pareto optimal solutions yield better economic and environmental performances compared to the performance of the base toner cartridge. The results show that following the multi-lifecycle based approach to implement EoL strategies (i.e., reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling) could provide over 20% savings in total lifecycle cost, total global warming potential, and total water use in comparison to the same product configuration made up with entirely new components.

[1]  F. Costantino,et al.  Product service-systems implementation: A customized framework to enhance sustainability and customer satisfaction , 2018, Journal of Cleaner Production.

[2]  Harrison Hyung Min Kim,et al.  Demand trend mining for predictive life cycle design , 2014 .

[3]  Yiliu Liu,et al.  Multi-objective product configuration involving new components under uncertainty , 2010 .

[4]  Peter J. Fleming,et al.  Genetic Algorithms for Multiobjective Optimization: FormulationDiscussion and Generalization , 1993, ICGA.

[5]  Bin Li,et al.  Product configuration optimization using a multiobjective genetic algorithm , 2006 .

[6]  Chun-Hsien Chen,et al.  Review of life cycle assessment towards sustainable product development , 2014 .

[7]  David W. Corne,et al.  Approximating the Nondominated Front Using the Pareto Archived Evolution Strategy , 2000, Evolutionary Computation.

[8]  Chris Ryan,et al.  Eco-efficiency gains from remanufacturing: A case study of photocopier remanufacturing at Fuji Xerox Australia , 2001 .

[9]  Amir Ahmadi-Javid,et al.  A multi-objective model for selecting design alternatives and end-of-life options under uncertainty: A sustainable approach , 2016 .

[10]  Harrison Hyung Min Kim,et al.  Design for life-cycle profit with simultaneous consideration of initial manufacturing and end-of-life remanufacturing , 2013 .

[11]  I. S. Jawahir,et al.  Product Sustainability Index (ProdSI) , 2014 .

[12]  J. H. Ge,et al.  Research on Method of Product Configuration Design Based on Product Family Ontology Model , 2013 .

[13]  L. Wein,et al.  Inventory Management of Remanufacturable Products , 2000 .

[14]  Chih-Hsing Chu,et al.  Review of sustainable product design from life cycle perspectives , 2012, International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing.

[15]  Harrison Hyung Min Kim,et al.  Assessing product family design from an end-of-life perspective , 2011 .

[16]  Donna Mangun,et al.  Incorporating component reuse, remanufacture, and recycle into product portfolio design , 2002, IEEE Trans. Engineering Management.

[17]  Linda L. Zhang,et al.  Product configuration: a review of the state-of-the-art and future research , 2014 .

[18]  Kalyanmoy Deb,et al.  A fast and elitist multiobjective genetic algorithm: NSGA-II , 2002, IEEE Trans. Evol. Comput..

[19]  S. Baskar,et al.  NSGA-II algorithm for multi-objective generation expansion planning problem , 2009 .

[20]  Li-Chieh Chen,et al.  Optimization of product configuration design using functional requirements and constraints , 2002 .

[21]  Egon Ostrosi,et al.  Generalised design for optimal product configuration , 2010 .

[22]  C. K. Kwong,et al.  Coordination of the closed-loop supply chain for product line design with consideration of remanufactured products , 2016 .

[23]  Dimitris Kiritsis,et al.  A multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for EOL product recovery optimization: turbocharger case study , 2007 .

[24]  Anders S. G. Andrae,et al.  Life-Cycle Assessment of Consumer Electronics: A review of methodological approaches , 2016, IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine.

[25]  I. S. Jawahir,et al.  Sustainable manufacturing: Modeling and optimization challenges at the product, process and system levels , 2010 .

[26]  Wei Li,et al.  Quantifying impacts of product return uncertainty on economic and environmental performances of product configuration design , 2018, Journal of Manufacturing Systems.

[27]  Dzuraidah Abd. Wahab,et al.  Multiple generation life-cycles for product sustainability: the way forward , 2015 .

[28]  S. Deng,et al.  Integrated product line design and supplier selection: A multi-objective optimization paradigm , 2014, Comput. Ind. Eng..

[29]  Jiafu Tang,et al.  Joint decision of product configuration and remanufacturing for product family design , 2016 .

[30]  James F. C. Windmill,et al.  Integrating design for remanufacture into the design process: the operational factors , 2013 .

[31]  Namhun Kim,et al.  Optimal product design for life cycle assessment (LCA) with the case study of universal motors , 2016 .

[32]  Xiao-Bing Hu,et al.  Multi-objective optimization of material selection for sustainable products: Artificial neural networks and genetic algorithm approach , 2009 .

[33]  Zahari Taha,et al.  A methodology for optimizing modular design considering product end of life strategies , 2015 .

[34]  Zhongkai Li,et al.  Multi-objective optimization and evaluation method of modular product configuration design scheme , 2014 .

[35]  Hing Kai Chan,et al.  A life-cycle assessment for eco-redesign of a consumer electronic product , 2011 .

[36]  James F. C. Windmill,et al.  Design for remanufacture: a literature review and future research needs , 2011 .

[37]  Ang Liu,et al.  Product Requirement Modeling and Optimization Method Based on Product Configuration Design , 2015 .

[38]  Lothar Thiele,et al.  Multiobjective evolutionary algorithms: a comparative case study and the strength Pareto approach , 1999, IEEE Trans. Evol. Comput..

[39]  C. K. Kwong,et al.  A novel methodology for simultaneous consideration of remanufactured and new products in product line design , 2015 .

[40]  Rizauddin Ramli,et al.  Modelling and optimisation of upgradability in the design of multiple life cycle products: a critical review , 2016 .

[41]  Venkatesh Akella,et al.  Comparative life cycle assessment of smartphone reuse: repurposing vs. refurbishment , 2014, The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.