Enhancing material selection and inflow efficiency for sustainable equipment manufacturing : a case study

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate strategies for optimizing material inflows and increasing resource efficiency in equipment manufacturing. The focus of this study is on improving sustainability in supply chain practices, aligning operations with European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) regulations, specifically the ESRS E5. This study utilizes a case study at The Company to identify key methodologies for tracking material flows, improving data accuracy, and implementing circular economy principles. It will also assess how these strategies can help reduce waste, energy consumption, and emissions while remaining compliant with ESRS requirements. The research will also examine how better resource management can boost supply chain resilience, visibility, and overall sustainability. Semi-structured interviews were used to identify the main factors. The Delphi method was used to determine the main factors using expert opinions, followed by material flow analysis (MFA). In this study, factors Enhancing material selection and inflow efficiency for Sustainable Equipment manufacturing factors include assessment and monitoring, manufacturability, economics, accessibility, and the environment. Also, the MFA method, which is enhanced by CNN and RNN models (with 98% and 96% accuracy, respectively), has been addressed by improving material flow tracking and identifying inefficiencies such as excess inventory due to forecast errors.