Digital tools developed by the EU-funded LEVEL-UP project can increase the working life of machinery in industries such as woodworking, aeronautics and toolmaking, helping European manufacturers modernise and cutting waste<\/p>\n
Modernising manufacturing lines can mean functional equipment gets discarded, creating unnecessary waste. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often lack the resources and knowledge needed to tackle both digitalisation and sustainable practices. The absence of standardisation and common terminology related to the circular economy has magnified these challenges.<\/p>\n
To address this, LEVEL-UP aimed to establish a standard framework for applying circular economy principles to extend the lifespan of industry assets. The project developed 10 circularity protocols, and an integrated advanced digital platform which measures every step of the manufacturing process so that it can be optimised. This enables SMEs to adopt a more sustainable approach to resource use, tackle overconsumption and significantly reduce their carbon footprint.<\/p>\n
Project coordinator Roi M\u00e9ndez, from the AIMEN Technology Centre in Spain, outlines their mission statement: \u201cLEVEL-UP\u2019s vision was specifically designed to focus on the modernisation and digital transformation of product manufacturing, encompassing every stage of the life cycle and value chain.\u201d<\/p>\n
LEVEL-UP\u2019s scalable digital platform allows users to optimise equipment use, simplify maintenance tasks and manage data, making it easier for smaller companies to adopt digital solutions. They also explored the potential of 3D-printing critical metal components to keep machines in service, avoiding the need for costly replacements and minimising downtime and waste.<\/p>\n
To achieve these goals, the project outlined 12 objectives, grouped into key areas: Digitalisation; Knowledge Management; Digital Twins; Inspection of Components; and End-of-Life Strategies. Once development was completed, the platform was rolled out at seven demo sites across Europe, each involving outdated large industrial equipment from different sectors with distinct requirements and business models. The pilots included manufacturers across Europe including machine tool producers, woodworking machines, and members of the automotive, railway and aeronautics industries.<\/p>\n
As with many digital transformation projects, LEVEL-UP faced some hurdles. Implementing digital tools often requires access to historical production data, which some companies were initially hesitant to share. And there was also initial scepticism towards using 3D printing for critical components. However, successful demonstrations and training initiatives helped overcome these concerns.<\/p>\n
Most interestingly, the initiative also highlighted the need for better communication between research institutions and industry: the project found researchers often develop complex solutions, while manufacturers need practical and user-friendly tools.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, the project has been a great success. LEVEL-UP\u2019s approach has been shown to extend the lifespan of large machinery by 5 to 10 years, reduce energy and resource use by over 10 % and increase the Material Circularity Indicator by over 20 %.<\/p>\n
In addition, all 10 circularity protocols have been defined and published, helping to standardise circular economy practices and contributing to CEN-CENELEC Workshop Agreement 18106 Circularity Protocols for extending the useful Life of Large Industrial Equipment, released in April 2024. This ensures consistency across various industries and facilitates the broader adoption of sustainable methods.<\/p>\n
LEVEL-UP\u2019s innovative approach to integrating circular economy principles and advanced digital technologies offers European industry an opportunity to extend the lifetime of industrial equipment, maximising return on investment and enhancing sustainability.<\/p>\n
Its legacy lies in its comprehensive approach providing valuable tools and methodologies that can be adopted by companies of all sizes \u2013 promoting a more competitive European manufacturing sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks to the collaboration of our partners, and the commitment of the end users, LEVEL-UP has had very satisfactory results that will hopefully help translate to a higher return on investment for manufacturers,\u201d concludes M\u00e9ndez.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Digital tools developed by the EU-funded LEVEL-UP project can increase the working life of machinery in industries such as woodworking, aeronautics and toolmaking, helping European manufacturers modernise and cutting waste Modernising manufacturing lines can mean functional equipment gets discarded, creating unnecessary waste. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often lack the resources and knowledge needed to\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_scj_primary_category_id":60,"_scj_featured":true,"_scj_featured_from":"","_scj_featured_until":"","_scj_featured_order":200,"_scj_visibility_class":"current","_scj_layout_family":"standard","_scj_article_style":"","_scj_display_overrides":[],"_scj_intro_image_id":19209,"_scj_intro_alt":"The circular economy project keeping Europe\u2019s gears of industry turning","_scj_intro_caption":"","_scj_intro_class":"","_scj_intro_float":"","_scj_full_image_id":19209,"_scj_full_alt":"The circular economy project keeping Europe\u2019s gears of industry turning","_scj_full_caption":"","_scj_full_class":"","_scj_full_float":"","_scj_media_type":"","_scj_media_provider":"","_scj_media_external_id":"","_scj_media_url":"","_scj_media_poster_id":0,"_scj_media_width":0,"_scj_media_height":0,"_scj_media_aspect_ratio":"","_scj_media_description":"","_scj_gallery_items":[],"_scj_related_post_ids":[],"_scj_additional_authors":[],"scj_layout_family":"standard","scj_media_provider":"","scj_media_url":"","scj_full_caption":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sustainability"],"yoast_head":"\n