Development of a framework to encourage injection mould remanufacturing in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The global mould manufacturing market amounts to USD 26.21 billion in 2020 and is expected to increase to USD 38.62 billion in 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8%[1]. This growing demand for moulds urges to develop sustainable methods to recover used moulds. Remanufacturing of moulds offers a promising solution in the industry which extends the useful life of end-of-use moulds. However, there is a lack of evidence that mould remanufacturing is used to reap its potential benefits in the Sri Lankan ‘Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME)’. The purpose of this research is to develop a framework to promote mould remanufacturing in Sri Lanka. This research was conducted within organizations that are already remanufacturing moulds, manufacturing moulds and which have the potential to remanufacture moulds. Semi-structured interviews of 09 organizations were conducted to ascertain relevant data to develop the framework to promote mould remanufacturing. Literature review and semi-structured interviews were used to establish the current knowledge, to identify barriers, and to identify key elements in developing the framework. The presented framework is in the format of a three-by-three matrix that is developed to help promote mould remanufacturing. The three columns address, 1) barriers and challenges, 2) technologies or methods, and 3) process steps and essential factors. These three factors are fused with three phases as shown in the rows of the framework namely, the initial stage, process stage, and market stage. This framework would be beneficial for the stakeholders of mould remanufacturing. Future research can be directed to further fine-tune the framework and make it available in a more accessible form such as a web or a mobile application. Additionally, the research can be extended to include other types of moulds such as blow moulds, and compression moulds as the data were mostly sourced from plastic injection mould (re)manufacturing.