The CACTUS approach: Organizational approach for sustainability

Smart Manufacturing acts on production systems performances while applying data identification, relevance selection, hierarchy categorization in a technology-driven approach. It makes use of computer integrated systems and information technology and sensors to enable plants while-in an Industry 5.0 perspective-promoting sustainable and human-centric workplace. In this work, we present a conceptual approach (named “Cactus”) that utilizes smart manufacturing and industry 5.0 logic on unconventional plants. The Cactus approach aims at developing a safe, sustainable and adaptable workplace for both small, medium and large factory units in the fast-paced market. Like the cactus adapts itself to live in the driest areas of the world accumulating and reducing the water consumption, and uses its spines to defend against herbivores, the smart Cactus approach reduces the utilization of resources achieving sustainability and minimizing the negative impact on environment through disassembly of EoL products, remanufacturing and recycling while, at the same time, protecting operators from accident and injury. This approach requires collaboration between human and robot to make the production environment safe and effective, integrating human flexibility and robot precision and repeatability. The adaptability and resilience are achieved by utilizing sensors, interoperability and collaboration for flexible and rapid changes in the workplace, following the needs, and changing requirements of the market. The communication is important as it connects the operations management with direct and reverse logistics and with customers. The transparency at the workplace plays significant role for the plant, the human operators, managements and customers, as all the agent involved understand the management vision, operation rules and the fluctuations in supply chains, empowering also the digital skills of the operators. The usability of systems is improved by utilizing sensors and artificial intelligence to increase reliability with forecasting and continuous optimization of both technical and social parts of the workplace environment.