Bringing the vision of perpetual innovative products to life – challenges and opportunities at the circular factory for angle grinders

In the circular economy, the contradiction between developing innovative products and reusing products from the market is a huge challenge. On the one hand, products returned from the market are, by design, unable to meet the requirements and functions of the newest product generation, hindering innovation in circularity. On the other hand, retaining the product's added value is a powerful lever for enabling sustainable circularity. Perpetual innovative products could solve this contradiction. However, the problem is that up to now it remains mostly a vision. This vision needs to address three key challenges to come to life: analyzing used products and subsystems, predicting functionality at the individual level, and reprocessing subsystems in a way that enables them to fulfill the newest functions. In this paper, we illustrate the collaborative approach to address these challenges. We structure insights and the challenges encountered in various solutions for implementing this vision, using the example of a circular factory for angle grinders. From incorporating asymmetrical degradation into product specifications to measuring strategies and reprocessing parameters, this paper shows how a vision can come to life. ... mehrThe uncovered insights and difficulties reveal opportunities for further development and interdisciplinary research in circular factories.