Simulation of an Integrated Manufacturing Remanufacturing System

In the ongoing European pursuit of a circular economy, remanufacturing has been identified as a crucial strategy for both waste reduction and the attainment of material self-reliance. Remanufacturing offers a promising solution to extend component lifespan and achieve circularity by disassembling, reprocessing, and reassembling returned products to match newly manufactured ones. However, complexities and costs pose significant obstacles, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), where integrating remanufacturing into existing manufacturing systems can be a solution. The goal of this work is to show how an integrated remanufacturing system can be simulated with conventional software and that the integration could be beneficial for an SME. An approach is suggested and a simulation is conducted on the integration of manufacturing and remanufacturing of water meters. The results of the use case show that for the remanufacturing of water meters, integrating the used products into different points of the manufacturing system could increase the system’s output in general.