How Industry 4.0 increases circularity
The fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, is a term that is often used to describe the ongoing digitalization of the industrial sector. Within the recycling industry, Stena Metall is at the forefront and has been working for several years on an initiative that produces and analyzes data from machines and equipment across Europe. The aim is to create better conditions for data-driven decisions.
“Data is becoming an increasingly important part of the business model for recycling and resource management. Data can provide both us and our customers with valuable insights that enable processes to be streamlined and material and energy consumption to be optimized,” says Åsa Fast-Berglund, who works as Development Portfolio Manager in R&D at Stena Metall, focusing on automation and digitalization.
Stena Recycling, the Group's recycling business, has over 3,000 machines across Europe that could potentially be connected and produce real-time data. An initiative is currently underway that includes Stena Recycling's largest recycling facility, Stena Nordic Recycling Center in Halmstad in Sweden, where 1,500 tons of scrap metal are processed every day. Seven fragmentation plants in five different countries are also participating in the Industry 4.0 initiative.
“Since Industry 4.0 is a global program, we work closely with our operations in several countries. We want to create a more efficient way to monitor and control our processes. We combine data from machines with data from materials and resources. We then process and analyze the information with the aim of becoming proactive and being able to make more data-driven decisions. We will become even better at meeting our customers' needs, both today and tomorrow.”
AI important part of Industry 4.0
Artificial intelligence is an important part of the development of Industry 4.0. There are many different methods and tools that can be used once the basic architecture is in place.
“AI will be an important part of both quality assurance and machine optimization. Right now, the focus is on object recognition through deep learning. It's like always having an extra pair of eyes on the machine,” says Åsa Fast-Berglund.
Industry 4.0 increases circular resource utilization
Industry 4.0 also enables a more efficient value chain. For example, Stena Recycling is developing a traceability system for electric vehicle batteries that allows data on a battery's life cycle to be collected and processed, from manufacturing to collection, reuse, and recycling. This is required by upcoming EU legislation.
“We will be able to optimize our operations based on the batteries we collect for recycling. In addition, battery manufacturers can gain insights that are valuable for the continued production of batteries. With digitalization, we will be able to increasingly help our customers achieve more circular resource utilization,” concludes Åsa Fast-Berglund.
