# Opportunities for Industry 4.0 to Support Remanufacturing
## Literature Review  
Remanufacturing activities span a number of industries. Remanufacturing has experienced a higher chance for success in sectors in which:  
* Products are durable and usually contain high-value materials;
* The technology cycle is stable and longer than the useful life cycle;
* Restoration technologies are available;
* Products have the potential to be leased or delivered as a service rather than as hardware. The above-mentioned factors are also the reasons why more than 60% of remanufacturing activities, in terms of production value, are concentrated in the aerospace, automotive, and heavy-duty off-road vehicle sectors. Examples of products or components being remanufactured include aerospace engines, alternators for automotive, gears for heavy-duty vehicles, etc. More recently, driven by noticeable economic profits and ever more stringent environmental regulations, remanufacturing has also been carried out by other industries, such as IT products, machinery, tires, and furniture. Bottlenecks to remanufacturing vary by geographic location, industry sectors size of the individual remanufacturer, and nature of business. Nevertheless, there are still some common challenges, which are identified as follows:  
* Lack of standards and legislation  
The lack of a commonly accepted definition and standards for remanufactured products in various sectors has been identified as the most prevalent barrier to remanufacturing. This has resulted in not only the loss of consumer trust in remanufactured products, but also restrictions on importing or exporting remanufactured products in certain countries [4]. * Lack of life cycle design awareness  
Many barriers encountered during the remanufacturing process could be eliminated if proper design features were included in the early stage of product design. For example, avoiding the use of permanent joints reduces the complexity of disassembly processes, and standardizing part designs simplifies the inspection and sorting process. Currently, most design for remanufacturing (DfRem) tools or concepts remain within the realm of academic research. There is still a lack of an effective DfRem tool commonly accepted and adopted by industry, which hinders the closing of the product life cycle through remanufacturing [5]. * Lack of sufficient market demand and core supply  
\"Cores\" refer to the used products which are re-collected for remanufacturing. A lack of understanding and negative perception of remanufacturing have limited market demand for remanufactured products. When customers are not convinced of the quality of remanufacturedproducts, they expect remanufactured products to be sold at a lower price, which consequently reduces the profit margin and discourages growth of the remanufacturing industry. Furthermore, due to the current linear movement of product from the point of manufacture to customers and, ultimately, to landfills, incineration, or material extraction, gaining access to EOL products and diverting qualified ones to a remanufacturing facility also pose challenges to the growth of remanufacturing. There is a need to change to circular or service-oriented models that can truly reverse the linear trend and assure a supply of cores [4]. * Skill/technology challenges and limited information sharing  
Remanufacturing is a highly labor-intensive industry in comparison with traditional manufacturing [6]. Many of the decisions made during the remanufacturing process are still dependent on ad hoc engineering experience and thus require technically skilled engineers or technicians. Meanwhile, there is still a need for the development of suitable nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for repaired components or parts, which makes the qualification of remanufactured products challenging. In addition to this, the lack of original design specifications and information on the usage and repair history of the returned products further complicate the assessment of the viability of core remanufacturing.