Low Impact Manufacturing | Case Study Report

The Circular Economy 1
LOW IMPACT MANUFACTURING
By Name
Course
Instructor
Institution
Location
Date

The Circular Economy 2
Contents
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................... 2
COMPONENTS OF ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE................................................................3
Structural Parts....................................................................................................... 3
Miscellaneous Parts................................................................................................. 5
Electrical Parts........................................................................................................ 5
FUTURE LIFECYCLE OF ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE.........................................................6
Source and Composition.......................................................................................... 6
Use.......................................................................................................................... 7
Environmental Impacts........................................................................................... 8
Disposal................................................................................................................... 9
SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM STEPS........................................................................9
Components Recycling.......................................................................................... 10
Remanufacturing................................................................................................... 10
Components Reuse............................................................................................... 11
Refurbishment....................................................................................................... 12
Redesigning Electric Motorcycle............................................................................12
Integrated Public Policy......................................................................................... 13
Setting Goals and Standards................................................................................. 13
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................ 14
REFERENCES............................................................................................................ 15
APPENDIX................................................................................................................. 17
INTRODUCTION
This research paper seeks to assess the activities of the industrial organization when
manufacturing electric motorcycle at all points of the life cycle of the motorcycle from the raw

The Circular Economy 3
material extraction to the final disposal. The current flow of materials and energy are linear with
no reuse and recycling hence there is a need to assess the implementation of circular economy to
the products of the electric motorcycle as well as the company. The major areas under
consideration include the description of the different parts applied when manufacturing electric
motorcycles majorly miscellaneous parts, structural, and electrical parts, the future sustainability
of the industry in regards to the lifecycle of the motorcycles after implementation of circular
flow, and the longer term and short term steps that may be incorporated to achieve sustainability.
The major parts applied when manufacturing electric motorcycles can be classified as structural
components, miscellaneous, and electrical components. Some of these components such as
miscellaneous and structural parts are produced within the factory which make them easy to
recycle or reuse while electrical components are supplied to the factory (Velte, et al., 2018).
The manufacturing process is expected to be made circular by ensuring that the flow of all the
products, equipment, infrastructure, and services are not linear. The circular economy concept is
an approach towards sustainable environment which involves the production of economic model
where there is no production of negative environmental effects.
The circular economy concept is an alternative to the conventional models where the material
and energy flow is linear without any reuse or recycling of components or materials. The circular
economy can be attained by any manufacturing company without necessarily reducing the
lifespan of the product or increasing the cost of production of the electric motorcycle (Srisruthi,
2017). As a sustainability manager, the major focus should be on the product, equipment,
services, and infrastructure needed during the manufacturing process.

The Circular Economy 4
COMPONENTS OF ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE
The major categories of components applied when manufacturing of the electric motorcycle may
be broadly classified into structural parts, miscellaneous parts, and electrical components. The
electrical parts used in the manufacture of the electric motorcycle include motors, tires, circuit
board, battery, and wires. The miscellaneous components of the electric motorcycles include
upholstery, bodyworks, transmission systems, and tires. The structural components of the electric
motorcycle include seat assembly, suspensions, chassis, and wheels.
Structural Parts
The structural parts of the electric motorcycles are generally manufactured within the industry
and they are the major focus in ensuring sustainability in the entire lifecycle of the electric
motorcycle. The chasses are the internal structure or framework which support the transmissions,
wheel, and steering systems of the electric motorcycle. Both the rear and front wheels of the
motorcycle are indirectly coupled to the frames of the chasses through the suspension systems
which are connected directly to the wheel (Knight, 2018). The materials applied when
manufacturing electric motorcycle include steel, titanium, magnesium, steel, and magnesium.
The flow of these materials can be made sustainable through recycling of chassis by first sorting
disposed or damaged motorcycles to remove other components coupled to it and then melting the
chassis in large furnaces within the factory.
The number of wheels required when manufacturing electric motorcycles depend on the specific
motorcycle design that the factory is producing at that specific instance. The wheels are
generally delivered to the factory by suppliers and their material flow can be made sustainable by
first gathering all the dumped electric motorcycles from specific collection point set up by the
company or disposed of in dumping sites, and then sorting to remove metallic rims and tyres
(Teoh & Bakar, 2013). The process of sorting entails removing the other components attached

The Circular Economy 5
to the wheels to permit easy reuse or recycling of all the parts. The metallic rims of the wheel can
be reused when manufacturing other wheels after repairing and repainting.
The suspension systems are systems of linkages, spring, shock absorber, tire air, and tires which
connects the electric motorcycle to its wheels and enable relative motion between the two. There
are two types of suspension systems used in electric motorcycle, namely the front and rear
suspension systems. The various parts of the suspension system are made of metallic materials
and can be recycled by sorting first to eliminate non-metallic parts and then carrying out the
processes of solidification, melting, and purification. The molten metal may be solidified to
make new suspension system during the manufacture of new electric motorcycles, or used in
produce spare parts to replace the old and damaged suspension systems that are currently in the
market.
From the discussion above, it is clear that majority of the structural components are made of
metallic materials and the flow of these materials can be made sustainable through recycling
disposed or damaged structural parts of the electric motorcycle. The recycling process of these
structural parts starts by sorting the various components and then melting in large furnaces
(Butzer, et al., 2016). The resulting molten metals can be applied in the manufacture of a new
electric vehicle or in the manufacture of different structural parts to be sold as spare parts.
Miscellaneous Parts
The miscellaneous components of the electric motorcycles include upholstery, bodywork, and
tires, and transmission system. Some of these parts are delivered to the industry by other
producers while others are manufactured internally. However, it is the responsibility of the
company to ensure that the material flow is made sustainable. The tyres are normally supplied to
the company by suppliers and their flow can be circular through performing sustainable

The Circular Economy 6
processes like reuse, proper disposal, and recycling. They can be reused as ground rubber
applications or constructions materials.
The transmission oil is used to enable smother shift of gear system and is delivered to the factory
by their producers. The material flow of the transmission oil can be made sustainable by first
removing the oil from damaged or disposed electric motorcycles and then reusing the oil in
lubrication to lubricate the rotating sections of the motorcycle to minimize the effects friction
(Kun, et al., 2011). Hence there is no need of the factory to return the used transmission oil to
their manufacturers. The upholstery is used in covering the seats to protect the seat of the electric
motorcycle from getting dirty and also for beautification.
Electrical Parts
Most of the electrical parts are supplied to the factory by their producers and then assembled
during the manufacture of the electric motorcycle. The drive train of the electric motorcycle
entails Lithium-ion battery, electric motor, and brushless DC controller. These electrical parts
used when manufacturing the electric motorcycles include motors, tires, circuit board, wires, and
battery. The batteries are the major source of power for the electric motorcycle and both lithium-
ion batteries and lead-acid batteries are commonly used (Mang & Ong, 2014). There can be
two or more batteries operating an electric motorcycle depending on the design of the
motorcycle. The flow of material of batteries can be made sustainable through the process of
recycling which involves breaking of battery, lead reduction, and lead refining (Rodríguez, et
al., 2017). These processes should be performed after draining the acids and then treating
through the process of neutralization.
The lead from scrap batteries should be reduced through trapping the metals from the kiln and
then channelling to the kettles for refining to produce lead of high quality. The motors are used