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Sustainability
Volume 16
Issue 3
10.3390/su16031301
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Article

The Role of Low-Cost Digital Solutions in Supporting Industrial Sustainability

by
Tasnim A. Abdel-Aty
1,2,
Duncan McFarlane
2,
Sam Brooks
2,*,
Liz Salter
2,
Awwal Sanusi Abubakar
2,
Steve Evans
2,
Greg Hawkridge
2,
Kate Price Thomas
2,
Elisa Negri
1,
Anandarup Mukherjee
2,
Gokcen Yilmaz
2 and
Marco Macchi
1
1
Department of Management, Economics, and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico Di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy
2
Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1301; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031301
Submission received: 21 December 2023 / Revised: 30 January 2024 / Accepted: 1 February 2024 / Published: 3 February 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Industry 4.0: Smart Green Applications)
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Abstract

Small and medium enterprise (SME) manufacturers are impeded from participating in sustainability initiatives using new technologies due to the high cost and the lack of clarity on where to start. The integration of low-cost digital solutions has enabled SME manufacturers to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies to support operations. However, using low-cost technologies to address sustainability challenges is underexplored. This article addresses three key research questions: What digital solutions do SMEs need to address industrial sustainability challenges? To what extent can existing low-cost digital solutions be used to address industrial sustainability challenges? How should new digital solutions for developing greater sustainability be prioritised? Three main tasks were conducted. Initially, a new sustainability-focused sub-catalogue was created using an existing catalogue of low-cost solution areas for manufacturing. Secondly, a workshop with 17 participants was used to identify the top ten priority solution areas, with process monitoring, energy monitoring, and quality inspection at the top. Lastly, existing low-cost digital solutions within the top ten priority areas were evaluated to identify how they could contribute to lean manufacturing. Predominantly existing solutions could contribute to waste or use reduction in lean manufacturing. This study provides a foundation for the future development of low-cost solutions for sustainability by indicating manufacturers’ key priority areas and outlining how existing solutions could be adapted to support waste reduction.
Keywords: waste; small and medium enterprise; Industry 4.0; manufacturing; lean manufacturing; digital shoestring approach waste; small and medium enterprise; Industry 4.0; manufacturing; lean manufacturing; digital shoestring approach

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MDPI and ACS Style

Abdel-Aty, T.A.; McFarlane, D.; Brooks, S.; Salter, L.; Abubakar, A.S.; Evans, S.; Hawkridge, G.; Price Thomas, K.; Negri, E.; Mukherjee, A.; et al. The Role of Low-Cost Digital Solutions in Supporting Industrial Sustainability. Sustainability 2024, 16, 1301. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031301

AMA Style

Abdel-Aty TA, McFarlane D, Brooks S, Salter L, Abubakar AS, Evans S, Hawkridge G, Price Thomas K, Negri E, Mukherjee A, et al. The Role of Low-Cost Digital Solutions in Supporting Industrial Sustainability. Sustainability. 2024; 16(3):1301. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031301

Chicago/Turabian Style

Abdel-Aty, Tasnim A., Duncan McFarlane, Sam Brooks, Liz Salter, Awwal Sanusi Abubakar, Steve Evans, Greg Hawkridge, Kate Price Thomas, Elisa Negri, Anandarup Mukherjee, and et al. 2024. "The Role of Low-Cost Digital Solutions in Supporting Industrial Sustainability" Sustainability 16, no. 3: 1301. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031301

APA Style

Abdel-Aty, T. A., McFarlane, D., Brooks, S., Salter, L., Abubakar, A. S., Evans, S., Hawkridge, G., Price Thomas, K., Negri, E., Mukherjee, A., Yilmaz, G., & Macchi, M. (2024). The Role of Low-Cost Digital Solutions in Supporting Industrial Sustainability. Sustainability, 16(3), 1301. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031301

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