Automation in remanufacturing and repair – extending product lifecycles
For decades, industrial automation has focused on one goal: producing more goods, faster and cheaper. But a quieter shift is now under way. Increasingly, manufacturers are turning their attention not to making new products, but to extending the life of existing ones.
This shift is being driven by a combination of economic pressure and environmental necessity. Global e-waste alone reached an estimated 62 million tonnes in 2022, according to the United Nations, and is projected to continue rising sharply. At the same time, raw material costs and supply chain volatility are forcing companies to rethink how value is created – and preserved.
Remanufacturing, once considered a niche activity, is emerging as a serious industrial strategy. In sectors such as automotive and heavy machinery, remanufactured components can cost 40 to 80 percent less than new equivalents while delivering comparable performance. The global automotive remanufacturing market alone is valued in the tens of billions of dollars. [Read more…] about How automation is transforming remanufacturing