reManuFactory helps Danish manufacturing companies transform worn products into new business opportunities

Would you like to get started with remanufacturing?

Contact us if you would like to learn more about how remanufacturing can create value for your company – or if you are already considering taking the first steps. We will help you get started and clarify the opportunities available to you.

Head of reManuFactory

Tim C. McAloone Head of Section, Professor tmca@dtu.dk

Co-Lead

Dev Ramanujan Associate Professor devr@dtu.dk

About reManuFactory

The national knowledge and competence centre for remanufacturing, reManuFactory, helps Danish manufacturing companies transform worn products into new business opportunities.

ReManuFactory addresses both small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and larger industrial companies in Denmark that develop and produce advanced, technology-intensive products involving multiple materials and technologies. Such products often hold significant – but largely untapped – potential for remanufacturing. Instead of being discarded when worn, these products can be remanufactured to benefit both the bottom line and the green transition.

The centre, which serves as a strategic hub for the circular transformation of Danish industry, supports companies in testing, implementing, and scaling remanufacturing, with a particular focus on electronics, mechanics, plastics, and metals. It offers laboratory facilities, research-based advisory services, and collaborative projects with both small and large manufacturing companies.

ReManuFactory, supported by the Danish Industry Foundation with DKK 37 million, was launched at the Technical University of Denmark in May 2025. It is part of the Foundation’s broader initiative, Circular Production – for a greener and stronger Danish business sector, which encompasses 13 projects across Denmark.

The centre is headed by Professor Tim C. McAloone and anchored at the Technical University of Denmark, with Associate Professor Dev Ramanujan serving as the project’s daily lead.

What is Remanufacturing?

Unlike reuse or repair, remanufacturing restores products to their original condition – or better. Remanufacturing is similar to refurbishment, with the important difference that a remanufactured product must comply with today’s regulations and requirements, not merely the regulations and requirements in force when it was originally produced.

reManuFactory’s Remanufacturing Phases

The centre covers all stages of the remanufacturing process.

Establishing effective return systems
How do companies retrieve used products?
Developing competitive remanufacturing processes
How can companies clean, disassemble, inspect, and reassemble products efficiently?
Design for disassembly and circular use
How can product design make future remanufacturing easier?
Developing business models for industrial remanufacturing
How can companies profit from remanufacturing without cannibalising their own new production?
Demonstrating remanufacturing systems
Remanufactured products in use.
Scaling up remanufacturing in industry
How can remanufacturing become efficient and scalable?
Sustainability assessment
Is it sustainable to remanufacture the product in question?

Benefits of Remanufacturing

The EU’s new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) requires a more circular approach to production in Europe. This poses a challenge for Danish companies. At present, Denmark holds the European record for waste generation – with as little as 4.2% being recycled.

This leaves a vast untapped potential for worn products to be transformed into new business opportunities. For example, export revenues from remanufactured products are expected to rise by 10% over the next three years.

And that is not the only gain to be made from preserving and adding value to existing products through remanufacturing. By remanufacturing, companies can reduce their dependence on scarce materials, cut production costs by half, significantly lower energy use and CO₂ emissions, and decrease the amount of waste generated.

Reduces production costs
by up to

50%

Cuts energy consumption
by up to

60%

Lowers CO₂ emissions
by up to

80%

Over the next three years, export revenues from remanufactured products are expected to increase by

10%

Which Products are Suitable for Remanufacturing?

Advanced, technology-intensive products — what does that mean?

Mechanical and electromechanical products

Examples include industrial pumps, compressors, automation systems, HVAC installations, and machinery. These products are often built from robust components designed for long lifespans, making them particularly well suited for remanufacturing, where systems can be upgraded and their service life extended. This is especially relevant in sectors such as manufacturing and energy, where reliability and efficiency are critical.

Electronic products

Examples include products with sensors, control systems, or embedded software. Such electronics often contain valuable materials, including rare earth elements, and consist of complex assemblies. Remanufacturing provides an attractive opportunity to extend product lifespans and reduce replacement needs, while also lowering environmental impact and material waste – something that is particularly important given the rapid pace of technological development.

Plastic and composite products

Denmark has strong expertise in advanced materials – particularly in sectors such as wind energy and medical manufacturing. Remanufacturing in this area helps preserve valuable materials and reuse the energy already invested in production. It extends product life cycles and creates value from a circular perspective.

Metal products and components

Examples include products manufactured through precision machining, stamping, or forming. These technologies are especially well suited for remanufacturing, which can reduce costs, improve resource efficiency, and lower dependence on raw materials – particularly relevant in times of fluctuating availability and prices.

Three ways of collaboration

There are three ways for companies to collaborate with the reManuFactory-centre:

Companies ready for full engagement can become one of 5–10 Co-Labs. They receive extensive support from experts at all stages to develop, test, and demonstrate the technical, economic, and environmental viability of remanufacturing systems. Companies are expected to contribute approximately 1,000 working hours over a period of 2–3 years.

100–120 companies seeking shorter, targeted programmes can participate as Pilots. They gain access to project tools and methods applied to their own products. Companies are expected to contribute approximately 100 working hours over a period of 3–4 months.

20–25 companies requiring targeted expertise can participate as Drop-Ins. Drop-In offers consultancy-based collaboration tailored to company needs. Drop-Ins offer customised solutions depending on needs and goals. The number of working hours expected from companies is flexible and individually agreed upon for Drop-Ins.

Meet the team behind Remanufactory

Leder af reManuFactory

Tim C. McAloone Head of Section, Professor tmca@dtu.dk

Co-Lead

Dev Ramanujan Associate Professor devr@dtu.dk

How is remanufacturing possible – technically, economically, and environmentally? We support Danish industry in testing and documenting this at laboratory scale.

Jakub Rubinowski jakru@dtu.dk

Line Faurholdt Pedersen Section coordinator, DesignBuildLab lijoe@dtu.dk

Rodrigo Salvador Assistant Professor rodsa@dtu.dk

Samuel Brüning Larsen Associate Professor sbla@dtu.dk

Simon Hoebel Postdoc simho@dtu.dk

The major challenges preventing the Danish industry from remanufacturing at scale must be addressed. The WP develop competitive remanufacturing processes based on advanced technologies for inspection, cleaning, disassembly, assembly, repair/production/recycling.

Akash Meena PhD student akmee@dtu.dk

Grethe Winther Head of Section, Professor grwi@dtu.dk

Guido Tosello Associate Professor guto@dtu.dk

Jan Frank Pedersen Head of Workshop jfpe@dtu.dk

Jesper Henri Hattel Head of Section, Professor jhat@dtu.dk

Line Faurholdt Pedersen Section coordinator, DesignBuildLab lijoe@dtu.dk

Magnus Bolt Kjer Postdoc mbokj@dtu.dk

Morten Stendahl Jellesen Associate Professor msje@dtu.dk

Niels Skat Tiedje Associate Professor nsti@dtu.dk

Rune Bjerre Clausen Research Assistant rbjcl@dtu.dk

Venkata Karthik Nadimpalli Senior Researcher vkna@dtu.dk

Used products must be returned to the company for remanufacturing. We are developing a digital tool that helps companies design and implement effective return systems.

Guilherme Hörner Bussolo ghobus@dtu.dk

Tim C. McAloone Head of Section, Professor tmca@dtu.dk

Companies must be able to plan and carry out the disassembly and reassembly of both new and legacy products. We further develop guidelines for Design for Remanufacturing (DfReman) while also creating a tool for disassembly planning.

Sebastian Rötzer Postdoc sjoro@dtu.dk

Tobias Eifler Associate Professor tobeif@dtu.dk

Decisions must balance profitability and sustainability. We therefore develop a system to help companies conceptualise competitive business models for remanufacturing.

Daniela C. A. Pigosso Professor danpi@dtu.dk

François Haeberle Research Assistant frhae@dtu.dk

To avoid rebound effects and burden-shifting, we develop a screening tool that ensures robust and balanced sustainability assessments of remanufacturing initiatives.

Giorgia Sanuti Research Assistant giosa@dtu.dk

Giovana Monteiro Gomes Researcher gimgo@dtu.dk

Remanufacturing is scaled by building capacity in the Danish industry and sharing knowledge through courses, projects, and collaboration with international remanufacturing centres.

Jakub Rubinowski jakru@dtu.dk