Increased demand for actionable knowledge in operations- and supply chain management has fuelled the interest in collaborative, action-oriented research design as well as modes of theorising that generate adaptable and actionable frameworks. Whilst action research (AR) design as well as middle-range theories (MRT) offer guiding principles herein, they are researcher centric in nature. It is taken for granted that practitioners that enter such an endeavour have a certain level of knowledge or experience prior to the initial stages of formalising the research problem. Practitioners in non-academic, operations management-intensive industries or craftsmanship-based industries, such as construction or carpeting (often in the SME range) are often neither prepared nor equipped with the principles necessary to convey their managerial challenges into collaborative research design. This risk limiting or even hindering altogether such participation. This paper elaborates on combining the logic of AR and MRT. By conceptualising a preparatory phase for initiating practitioner engagement, complementing the conventional AR cycle, a four-step approach is presented: (1) Identifying a joint interest; (2) Teaching ? Awakening interest in the topic through MRT frameworks; (3) Accepting buy-in to the AR cycle and determining the problem; and (4) Proposing MRT frameworks for analysis and entering the traditional AR cycle.

The circular economy (CE) concept seeks to minimize resource input, waste generation, emissions, and energy waste by slowing, narrowing, and closing material and energy cycles. Various circular strategies exist to reduce the consumption of virgin materials and minimize waste production. These strategies, often referred to as “Rs” (e.g., Reduce, Reuse, Recycling, etc.) or R-frameworks can be described as different strategies to transition from a linear model to CE. The R-frameworks encompasses a range of options aimed at preserving the value of resources within the system. Even though there exists an abundance of literature about CE and the Rs, we have neither found a common definition of R-frameworks, nor a distinct adaptation of the Rs for an ETO context. The purpose of the paper is to explore how circular strategies can be applied to ETO products. To fulfil this purpose, illustrative cases are used to explore the application of circular strategies, operationalized by R-frameworks, in two different ETO-contexts.

The textile industry includes SMEs, which play an important role worldwide in the economy and society. However, their activities can contribute to some environmental issues, like climate change, and resource scarcity, which are lately at the center of attention. Due to increasing pressure from governments and society regarding sustainability issues, textile SMEs need to become sustainable, and one solution to achieve sustainability is transitioning towards circularity in production. Nevertheless, textile SMEs encounter numerous challenges and enablers on their journey towards circularity, particularly in areas like production systems where knowledge remains insufficient. Thus, this paper aims to identify the challenges and enablers faced by textile SMEs in transitioning towards circular production systems. This study is based on a literature study, workshops, and interviews with Swedish textile SMEs. The results show that textile SMEs encounter seven challenges towards circular production systems, including a lack of knowledge and awareness, limited resources, limited access to technology, complexity of input and finished product, a lack of proper regulations and strategy, a lack of collaboration among stakeholders, and a lack of interest and support from stakeholders and customers. In contrast, education, collaboration, supportive regulations, and circular production system design can be considered as enablers for their transition.

The transition from linear economy to circular economy (CE) has gained mainstream status in recent times, not only at product and process levels, but also at component level. In order to adopt the CE as common practice, there is a need to reimagine the product end-of-life (EoL) phase to include assessment of individual component health status. Implementation of EoL strategies on products designed based on wear and tear, robustness, and safety concerns is, however, complex. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of designing for CE by applying a visual health-based analysis (VHA) at the component level at the EoL stage. The application of this diagnostic tool is exemplified in a case at a large Swedish outdoor power product manufacturer by analyzing components for reuse, remanufacture, refurbishment, recycling, and recovery strategies. The VHA results in the calculation of a CE potential at the component-product level based on individual component's cost, complexity, health, and diagnostic approach. This study presents a diagnostic tool for practitioners to understand circularity at the component-level in the effort to identify EoL strategies. Furthermore, in supporting the CE principle of maximizing resource recovery, the study potentially contributes to the EU's CE action plan and the UN-SDGs 8, 9, 12, and 13.

Background

Considering resource limitations and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), the assessment of product health at the component level presents an opportunity to better strategize end-of-life (EoL) options by adopting circular thinking. The assessment of remaining useful life at the individual component level during the EoL stage facilitates the reuse of healthy components and recycling. Additionally, realizes the resource recovery objective of the circular economy (CE) while moving up in the waste hierarchy.

Purpose

To develop a diagnostic tool to realize the potential of reuse and recycling at the component level at EoL stage, designed for complex tasks. 

Approach (see poster full text)

Outcomes

Through reusing the healthy components directly, the possible reduction involves:  

• Additional GHG emission of recycling stage (transportation, melting, forging etc.).
• Additional resources utilization i.e. electricity, water etc.

Through recycling the unhealthy components, the possible reduction involves:  

• Additional GHG emission of component production through virgin material (transportation, raw material purification, melting, forging etc.).
• Use of landfills

It increases resource efficiency, GHG mitigation potential, reduces landfills and contributes to UN’s Climate Action goal (SDG 13).

Future work

Development of an artificial intelligence (AI) aided individual component health assessment tool to assist industry-level operation economically.  

Cradle to cradle assessment to calculate the resource recovery, GHG mitigation, and financial benefits attractive to industries, specifically high complexity products. 

The wood house industry in Sweden is an innovative industry and consists of small companies producing single family houses and apartments. Although this industry has been thriving, recent events have increased the companies’ vulnerability to supply chain risks. Hence, this paper proposes initiating supply chain risk management (SCRM) research in the wood house industry. The propositions made cover theoretical gaps in existing SCRM literature, including the context of the wood house industry. The aim of the propositions is to motivate more SCRM research, and develop implementation plans for industry practitioners, to help them generate more resilient supply chains.

As we find ourselves in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, the digital transformation of products, processes, and systems, along with their interconnectedness, is of utmost interest. To ensure future competitiveness in the manufacturing sector, the integration of advanced manufacturing technologies and advanced information technology is essential. Information technologies and knowledge are deeply intertwined with industrial equipment, processes, products, and systems, posing a challenge in transitioning today’s manufacturing industry into the digital era. The manufacturing sector will require adequate methods, a conducive working environment, new tools, and lifelong training to support its employees. This article describes a joint effort of five Swedish universities with the ambition to strengthen the competitiveness and innovativeness of the national manufacturing industry through highly competent researchers and future leaders. The collaboration is in the form of an industrial graduate school, combining the efforts of five universities, 16 graduate students, and 12 companies or organisations. This article will outline how the graduate school has been organized, the joint efforts that have been made to assure the development of all parties, organisations and individuals, and will also outline some of the key success factors that have been identified thus far in the project.

This chapter focuses on temporary intersectoral mobility positions and presents a checklist, with activities, that can be a support for both individuals and host organisations before, during, and after the mobility position. This chapter is relevant for universities, non-academic organisations, and individual academics that are interested in intersectoral mobility. However, we have taken the university perspective in this chapter; we have studied academics with a PhD degree, working at either a university or in an organisation in another sector. However, the individuals can also be non-academics, working at a university or in an organisation in another sector.