Purpose Circularity in spare parts management for Indian auto industry has emerged as a potential concern. It helps in conserving the resources by using 6R principles such as Repair, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Refurbish and Reproduce. Further, integration of industrial 4.0 technologies with spare parts management supports the organization in attaining sustainability. Design/methodology/approach In the past, no attempt has been made to measure and analyse the circularity index of spare parts management with and without Industry 4.0 integration in Indian auto industry. This research offers a framework for evaluation of circularity index for both the alternatives. Graph theory combined with matrix approach is used for analysis as it supports the multi option decision-making for complex interdependencies. Index of circularity is examined based upon six circularity alternatives 6Rs and eight attributes using a case study of Indian auto industry. Findings Post analysis, it was concluded that Recycle option among 6Rs is the best alternative with circularity index values of 130.16 without Industry 4.0 integration and 162.28 with Industry 4.0 solutions. This analysis has exposed the potential of circularity in management of spare parts. Research limitations/implications Circularity measurement may help in improving the sustainability with quality for forthcoming generations, competitive benefits and customer satisfaction. Originality/value The study provides an approach for improving the sustainability for spare parts management, which has rarely been considered in earlier studies.
Kulshrestha et al. (Fri,) studied this question.