Upgradable system opportunities in order to rationalize materials

Part of: Seliger, Günther (Ed.): Innovative solutions : proceedings / 11th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, Berlin, Germany, 23rd - 25th September, 2013. - Berlin: Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin, 2013. - ISBN 978-3-7983-2609-5 (online). - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-40276. - pp. 96–101.Design of more sustainable products is a fundamental priority in our society. New opportunities for facilitating the dissemination of the remanufacturing approach or the Product-Service Systems, or for increasing the lifetime of product (three ways for rationalizing of materials) are proposed by the integration of upgrades, functional enrichments brought to the product. This paper aims to show the need of product upgradability through a concrete study focused on four hypotheses: • H1- Upgradability concept requires a potential of disposed devices which still works. • H2- Upgradability concept requires a need for adaptability of product towards user needs. • H3- Upgradability concept requires a need for adaptability of product versus the competition. • H4- Upgradability concept is consistent with an accumulation of problems. The first results show the necessity to consider a new sort of "evolutionary" products for sustainability: Innovations with multiples upgrade cycles

L'approche PST comme outil de rationalisation de la démarche de conception innovante.

no english version availableLe sujet traité concerne le processus d'innovation, si important aujourd'hui pour la compétitivité des entreprises. Après une relecture des travaux de la littérature sur la conception pour innover, les travaux de thèse se centrent précisément sur les prises méthodologiques du processus de conception en innovation. D'abord, après une précision sur la définition du livrable de ce processus, nommée innovation potentielle, sont identifiés deux indicateurs de résultat relatifs au potentiel de nouvelle proposition de valeur et à la faisabilité technologique ainsi que l'intérêt majeur de considérer un raisonnement de conception exploratoire. Pour pouvoir initier ce dernier, par l'énoncé d'une nouvelle intention, le modèle "multi-entrées" PST propose au travers des trois dimensions, Potentiel (P) - Système (S) - Techno (T), de nombreux angles d'attaque possibles. Ensuite, la thèse s'attache à préciser plus particulièrement le raisonnement de conception exploratoire en le présentant comme un jeu de questions "logique" au travers là aussi des trois dimensions P, S et T (modèle "multi-questions" PST). Le rôle majeur de l'activité de modélisation dans ce type de raisonnement (PST) et plus globalement en innovation est alors mis en exergue. Enfin, il est montré comment exploiter et affiner les résultats d'un raisonnement PST pour obtenir un livrable de conception satisfaisant au mieux les indicateurs de résultat identifiés, d'abord en utilisant des outils de comparaison permettant de préciser la définition de l'objet à concevoir tant en termes d'objectifs à satisfaire que de caractéristiques de solution, et ensuite en présentant différentes voies amenant à améliorer la nouvelle proposition de valeur du produit, afin que l'innovation potentielle devienne réelle. Les travaux se concluent sur leur apport (prises méthodologiques) dans la pratique de la conception pour innover et sur des perspectives portant sur l'intérêt d'un outil logiciel et sur la forme de l'organisation supportant le processus proposé

L'upgradabilité, opportunité pour concevoir des systèmes durables

National audience— Le rythme accéléré du renouvellement des produits entraîne une surexploitation des matériaux et de l'énergie. Pour remédier à cela, le présent document considère des systèmes upgradables, produit évolutif auquel est intégré au cours du temps des améliorations fonctionnelles (upgrades). La quantité et le timing d'intégration de ces upgrades définissent différents « scénario d'upgrade ». Une expérimentation basée sur l'outil UpMoS et les données du passé d'un appareil électronique simule différentes hypothèses de conception, au regard d'une évaluation multicritères: impact sur l'environnement-coût pour l'entreprise-attractivité pour les consommateurs. Avec une intégration non systématique des nouvelles fonctionnalités et des astuces de conception des modules upgradés comme leur recyclage ou leur surdimensionnement pour espacer leur remplacement, les résultats montrent que l'upgradabilité est d'ores et déjà une opportunité pour développer des systèmes durables. Les gains environnementaux sont de l'ordre de 5 à 10 %. D'autres leviers de conception prometteurs pour obtenir des résultats beaucoup plus positifs sont présentés en discussion

Vers un outil pour les phases amont du processus d'innovation

National audienc

Management of new ideas during early design phases of innovative products in the surf industry

International audienc

Development of usage models for the ecodesign of products: the concept of usage ecodrift

International audienceUsage ecodrifts, which refer to non-optimal use of a product by the users, create additional environmental impact generators: energy overconsumption (real-time impacts) and abnormal wear and tear of parts of the product (delayed impacts). The goal of this study is to demonstrate that these Usage EcoDrifts must be taken into account during the design stage to better the environmental performance of the use phase of the product. In this paper, we study the case of different usages of a vacuum cleaner and their environmental consequences. We first conducted a survey to gather information on how people use the product. Then, we conducted experimentations to measure the consequences of the usages. We also explored how the testers responded to feedback inviting them to adopt a more sustainable behaviour. Results show that most of the users do not use the product optimally and cause additional environmental impact. Several usage ecodrifts were identified, causing both abnormal energy overconsumption and wear and tear of the product. The calculations show that delayed environmental impacts, because their consequence is the early replacement of the whole product, are of much greater importance than real-time environmental impacts

Une caractérisation des phases informelles en amont des projets d'innovation

International audienc

A method for identifying and quantifying Usage EcoDrifts

International audienceUsage ecodrifts, which refer to non-optimal use of a product by the users, create additional environmental impact generators: energy overconsumption (real-time impacts) and abnormal wear and tear of parts of the product (delayed impacts). The goal of our study was to develop a method for identifying and quantifying UEDs of products that have a high environmental impact use phase. In this paper, we studied the case of different usages of a vacuum cleaner and their environmental consequences. We first conducted a survey to gather information on how people use the product. Then, we conducted experimentations to measure the consequences of the usages. We also explored how the testers responded to feedback inviting them to adopt a more sustainable behaviour. Results show that most of the users do not use the product optimally and cause additional environmental impact. Several usage ecodrifts were identified, causing both abnormal energy overconsumption and wear and tear of the product. The calculations show that Delayed Environmental Impacts, because their consequence is the early replacement of the whole product, are of much greater importance than Real-time Environmental Impacts

“Upgradable PSS”: Clarifying a new concept of sustainable consumption/production based on upgradablility

International audienceConfronted with the accelerated product obsolescence and the resulting waste of materials, the concept of “optimised/increased/hybridised upgradability” is considered. In the literature, upgradability is used to respond to local technical problems (updating norms, update because of a broken component etc.) or as an end-of-life option. In our view however, it constitutes the heart of a new and promising paradigm of production/consumption. This paper proposes to consider hybrid systems that are called “Upgradable Product Service System (Up-PSS)” combining upgradability with optimised maintenance, with valorisation of end-of-life parts and with the servicisation of the offer. The promises of increasing attractiveness for clients, new businesses for manufacturers and a host of environmental benefits make this new concept highly pertinent compared to known models of production/consumption such as remanufacturable products, easily recyclable products, PSS, optimal maintenance products or basic upgrade products. Moreover, Up-PSS is a new opportunity to switch to offers without ownership transfer that facilitates the implementation of circular economy. In order to shed light on the field of Up-PSS and investigate the boundaries of this new paradigm, three actions are carried out: (1) focus groups with consumers and workshops with two manufacturers (2) on the upgradability of real products and (3) on the changes in business models. Our action research approach resulted in clarifying this new concept of the product by defining key ideas based on three keystones: (i) upgrades should be scheduled according to regular cycles of successive lines of functional improvements to satisfy the following themes of value creation: utilitarian, emotional, ethical, and service-oriented. There should also be specific upgrades chosen from a catalogue; (ii) the effects are strong environmental gains from multiple principles of rationalisation materials use but also by encouraging users to eco-friendly usage of their products; this is formalised by an eco-score to which both users and producers are committed. (iii) The above are accompanied by continuous interaction between clients and manufacturers through a web platform, offers of upgradable systems that would integrate bundles of services resulting in the system's growing attractiveness in the eyes of clients. This in turn would set in motion new modes of contracts, offering manufacturers new and more frequent ways of earning revenue; this would be conditional on setting up an upgradability support service that would be attractive to clients as well as reorganising the value chain with the participation of new partners. This transformation of the value network over time implies developing new development paths for business models to facilitate the transition from current economic models centred on material goods to models that are more service oriented