How to explore scenarios of multiple upgrade cycles for sustainable product innovation: the “Upgrade Cycle Explorer” tool

Our society is increasingly concerned by environmental issues. Remanufacturing is a process which allows decreasing and rationalising the quantities of materials used by recuperating parts of products at the end of the use phase, subjecting them to renewal treatments and then inserting them into new products, therefore prolonging their exploitation (over the long term). Remanufacturing is seen in literature as an end-of-life option for certain components/modules and this may give guidelines for some design improvements for a quick and easy disassembly. The approach developed in this work aims to integrate the potentials of remanufacturing as early as possible in the design process in order to reap the greatest benefits in both economic and environmental dimensions. This project includes a study of the designs of modular architecture, Reverse Supply Chain processes and also of the problem of dimensioning cycles for multiple use and upgrading possibilities (or functional enrichment). This article details the third study on upgrade cycles: it shows(1)the benefits of a method which simulates the upgrade cycles in terms of attractiveness and risk(2)the value of such a tool for guiding a more rigorous company strategyIt illustrates also through an experiment conducted with an industrial leader in franking machines. This paper concludes towards upgradable systems more compatible with sustainable development.