Manufacturing companies are dealing with staff shortages, scarce raw materials, rising costs, and demanding customers. Circularity often sounds sympathetic but seemingly stands far from daily practice. At the same time, there is growing awareness that raw materials are the bottleneck of the future: shortages and price increases directly affect business continuity.
It is precisely in this turmoil that the first signs of change are emerging. Entrepreneurs are driven by returns: taking steps today that will provide more overview, lower costs, and less hassle tomorrow. Digitalization proves to be a logical accelerator in this.
The circle of life
The whitepaper shows that digitalization gives entrepreneurs insight into where value is lost—in time, material, quality, and process steps. Circularity then offers concrete tools to regain that value. Companies that skillfully manage resource productivity increase their delivery reliability, their margins, and their control over quality.
Suppliers play a surprising leading role in this: they are close to the process, see where waste occurs, and can improve directly.
Three factors always make the difference:
- Smarter design and procurement (Beginning of Life)
- Longer use with maintenance and services (Middle of Life)
- Reuse and remanufacturing (End of Life)
As Iris Grobben, program manager of Circonnect, puts it: “Digitalization and data are essential to harness the circular potential of products. It provides insight into value loss, delivery risks, and business opportunities for reuse. This twin transition thus strengthens the future resilience of companies.”
From ambition to action: doing what works
The whitepaper shows that acceleration mainly occurs by doing, not by making new plans. Companies and regions can gain momentum by:
- sharing quick wins,
- offering one recognizable route,
- supporting entrepreneurs on the shop floor,
- using data to learn and profit from what already exists.
Digitalize to save. Automate to extend lifespan. Use data to create new value.
During the Circonnect network day, participants already got a first taste. In workshops, they stepped into the shoes of various departments within a manufacturing company and sought out the core challenges that arise when transitioning from a linear to a circular business model. The results confirm: the mutual influence of digitalization and circularity is becoming more concrete and increasingly promising.
DACE: an initiative that takes the movement further
The publication is part of the DACE initiative—Digitalization and Automation for a Circular Economy. This program was launched by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the BOM on behalf of ‘Klikopmorgen.nl’, and Oost NL on behalf of ‘BOOST Robotics’. In the next phase, DACE will collect practical examples from entrepreneurs to show: what works, where, and under what conditions.
The digital and circular transition is no longer an abstract story—it is a direct response to the daily challenges of manufacturers. By smartly digitalizing and thinking circularly, a manufacturing industry is created that is smarter, more secure, and more valuable. Together we accelerate the digital circular manufacturing industry. Two worlds can be as one. The whitepaper can be downloaded from today via the website of the Foundation for Circular Manufacturing Industry.
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