Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Remanufacturing

and New Manufacturing of a Manual Transmission

1 1 2
Jens Warsen , Marlisa Laumer , Wolfgang Momberg
1
Volkswagen AG, Group Research Environmental Affairs Product, Wolfsburg, Germany
2
Volkswagen AG, Remanufacturing Powertrain, Kassel, Germany

Abstract
A newly manufactured 5-speed manual transmission is compared with a genuine remanufactured transmission of
identical design. The Life Cycle Assessment covers the entire product life cycle from production through to disposal. In
all the environmental impact categories considered, the remanufactured transmission performs significantly better than
the newly manufactured unit. The environmental improvements are attributable to the substantial reduction in material
and energy consumption. Transport of used transmissions to the remanufacturing facility accounts for only a small
fraction of total life cycle environmental impacts. Energy consumption is reduced by 33 % for the remanufactured
transmission compared with a newly manufactured transmission.

Keywords:
Comparative LCA; Remanufacturing; Transmission

1 INTRODUCTION
Volkswagen is committed to developing vehicles and components
with better environmental properties than their predecessors over
the entire life cycle. Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) are used to
document the environmental performance of vehicles, technologies
and processes. We have been using Life Cycle Assessments to
enhance the environmental compatibility of our cars and their
individual components since 1996. As part of an integrated product
policy, the LCA considers not only individual environmental aspects
such as the driving emissions of the vehicle but its entire life cycle.
The Life Cycle Assessment issued by Volkswagen are in
accordance with ISO 14040/44 [1, 2] and are verified by
independent experts, e.g. by TV NORD.
Volkswagen today has a 60 year history of remanufacturing. The so
called Exchange Parts Programme, a take-back scheme for used
vehicle components, was launched back in 1947 in order to meet
raw material shortages in the post-war era. Initially the scheme was
confined to five product groups: fuel pumps, clutch pressure plates,
steering boxes, carburettors and cylinders with front and rear axles
and industrial engines following during the subsequent years. Being
extremely successful, the programme saved substantial amounts of
raw material and energy as a large part of the components usually
can be directly reused. For these component parts the complex
production process of smelting, casting and forming is saved.
Nonetheless genuine part quality is guaranteed for all
remanufactured components.
The aim of this LCA-study is to analyse and compare the
environmental impacts of a newly manufactured transmission model
with a genuine remanufactured transmission of identical design.
More detailed information about this analysis can be found at
www.mobility-and-sustainability.com.
2 MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1 Data origin of LCI analysis
The data used for preparing the Life Cycle Assessment can be
subdivided into product data and process data. Product data
describes the product itself, and among other things includes
information on parts, quantities, weights and materials. Process
data includes information on manufacturing and processing steps
such as the production of materials and semifinished goods,
fabrication and the provision of electricity and other consumables.
This information is either obtained from commercial databases or
compiled by Volkswagen as required [3, 4].
The data selected are as representative as possible. This means
that the data represent the materials, production and other
processes as accurately as possible from a technological, temporal
and geographical point of view. For the production processes
carried out at the Kassel plant chiefly primary data is used.
Upstream supply chains and external production steps are
modelled using published industrial data. As the transmissions are
remanufactured centrally by Volkswagen in Kassel, as far as
possible data related to Germany is applied. Where German data is
not available, European and occasionally global conditions are
reflected.
The Life Cycle Assessment model for transmission production was
developed using Volkswagens slimLCI methodology [5]. The
transmission parts list was used as data source for product data,
and data on weight and materials was taken from the Volkswagen
material information system (MISS). This information was then
linked to the corresponding process data in the Life Cycle
Assessment software GaBi.
2.2 Data quality
Material inputs, processing procedures and the selection of data in
GaBi are standardised to the greatest possible extent, ensuring that
the information provided by VW slimLCI is consistent and
transparent. In sum, all information relevant to the aims of this study
was collected and modeled completely. The modelling of
components on the basis of transmission parts lists ensures that
the model is complete, especially with respect to the manufacturing
phase. In addition, as the work processes required are automated
to a great extent, any differences in the results are due solely to

J. Hesselbach and C. Herrmann (eds.), Glocalized Solutions for Sustainability in Manufacturing: Proceedings of the 18th CIRP International 67
Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, Technische Universitt Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, May 2nd - 4th, 2011,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-19692-8_12, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011
68
changes in product data and not to deviations in the modelling
system.
2.3 Impact assessment
The Impact Assessment is based on CML methodology [6]. The
assessment of environmental impact potentials in accordance with
this method is based on recognized scientific models. A total of five
environmental impact categories were identified as relevant and
were then assessed in this study:
eutrophication potential (EP)
ozone depletion potential (ODP)
photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP)
global warming potential (GWP) for a reference period of 100
years
acidification potential (AP)
Besides this, primary energy demand has been also recognized.
These six categories were chosen because they are particularly
important for the automotive sector, and are also regularly used in
other automotive related Life Cycle Assessments [7, 8, 9].
3 CASE STUDY
3.1 Objective and target group of the assessment
The objective of this Life Cycle Assessment was to compare the
environmental profiles of newly manufactured and remanufactured
transmissions. For this purpose, a manual 5-speed MQ 250
transmission, currently Volkswagen`s highest-volume transmission,
and a corresponding remanufactured unit have been assessed.
3.2 Function and functional unit
The functional unit for the Life Cycle Assessment was defined as
the manufacture of a Type MQ 250 transmission. Table 1 shows the
Figure 1: Scope of Life Cycle Assessment.
Automotive Life Cycle Engineering
key technical data of this transmission. The two transmissions are
comparable as the remanufactured unit is guaranteed to have the
same quality as a genuine newly manufactured gearbox.
5-speed front wheel drive car transmission
Torque 250 [Nm]
Max Power 132 [kW]
Length 370 [mm]
Weight 41.3 [kg] , with oil
Design Twin-shaft gearbox
Synchromesh 3rd to 5th gears: single-cone Borg-Warner,
1st and 2nd gears: triple-cone Smith
Reverse gear Reverse brake (input shaft)
Housing Diecast aluminium
Table 1: Technical data of MQ 250 transmission.
3.3 Scope of assessment
Figure 1 shows the scope of this Life Cycle Assessment. It was
defined in such a way that all relevant processes and substances
are considered, traced back to the furthest possible extent and
modeled at the level of elementary flows. The material fractions
generated during recycling are the only exception.
The manufacturing phase was modelled including all manufacturing
and processing stages for all transmission parts and components.
The model includes the transport of the old transmission to the
plant, the dismantling, cleaning and testing of the old transmission,
the production of replacement parts and the reassembly of the
transmission. The model therefore covers all steps from the
extraction of raw materials and the manufacture of semifinished
products right through to assembly.
Automotive Life Cycle Engineering
Figure 2 shows a more detailed plan of the transmission
remanufacturing process. The model includes the transport of the
old transmissions from main distribution warehouses of the
individual markets to the central remanufacturing plant at Kassel.
The average distance travelled by an old transmission is 1,086 km.
The national collection process is not considered as details of
workshops dealing with transmissions in the individual countries are
not known and the environmental impact of transport is, in any
case, negligible (cf. Figure 5). The model reflects the means of
transport mainly used in the markets and the distances concerned.
The average distances for each means of transport are shown in
Table 2.
Overall share in Distance
transport (rounded) considered [km]
Truck 35.6 % 387
Train 15.7 % 170
Ship (overseas) 48.7 % 529
Table 2: Average transport distance for a returned transmission.
The model is based on the data records of the GaBi software. As
regards the respective assumptions concerning capacity utilisation,
consumption, etc., the parameters described in the software
documentation [10] apply.
On average, experience indicates that the parts which are found to
be reusable on inspection account for at least 50 % of the mass of a
transmission. The remaining parts are consigned to recycling and
replaced by new parts. These new parts include a large number of
small wear parts, which are replaced on all transmissions as a
standard part of the process.
Figure 2: Transmission remanufacturing process.
69
The service life phase is identical for both transmission types as
remanufactured transmissions are reprocessed to genuine
component quality and therefore meet the same technical
requirements as newly manufactured units. Within the differential
approach adopted for the Life Cycle Assessment, the service life
phase is therefore not relevant and is outside the scope of the
assessment (see Figure 1). The recycling phases of the two
transmission types are also identical and are therefore also
excluded from the scope of the assessment. This applies both to
the separate consideration of a new and a remanufactured
transmission which have reached the end of their useful lives and
are consigned to recycling and to such transmissions which are
remanufactured.
4 RESULTS
4.1 Life Cycle Inventory
Figure 3 presents the Life Cycle Inventory results for selected
parameters during the manufacturing phase of the production of a
new transmission and the remanufacturing of a transmission. The
emissions of all the gases considered are significantly reduced by
remanufacturing. In absolute terms, the emission values are very
different, but the relative reductions are of the same order of
magnitude. The greatest savings are achieved with respect to
carbon monoxide (a reduction of 47 %), which is a key factor in
local air quality (photochemical ozone creation potential). Regarding
the emission of carbon dioxide the remanufacturing leads to a
reduction of 73 kg CO2
70 Automotive Life Cycle Engineering

Figure 3: Life Cycle Inventory Values.

4.2 Life Cycle Impact Assessment remanufacturing. The environmental impacts shown in each of the
On the basis of the Life Cycle Inventory data, the Life Cycle Impact categories have been normalised using the normalisation factors in
Assessment is drawn up for all the environmental impact Table 3. The environmental impact of transmission remanufacturing
categories. The interactions of all the emissions recorded are is due mainly to the energy and materials required for producing
considered and potential environmental impacts are determined new parts to replace components of the old transmission which
based on CML methodology. Figure 4 compares the absolute cannot be reused. The remanufacturing process itself, including
environmental impacts of the production of a new transmission with dismantling, cleaning, testing and reassembly, accounts for a
those caused by transmission remanufacturing. The relative substantially lower share of the environmental impacts.
reductions in environmentally relevant emissions are also indicated. Environmental category Unit
For example, global warming potential can be reduced by 28 %, or
EP 15906 PO4 equivalents
63 kg of CO2 equivalents, on average by the reuse of components
in a remanufactured transmission. The greatest savings are in the ODP 31 R11 equivalents
area of eutrophication potential (minus 42 %), followed by local air POCP 7228 C2H4 equivalents
quality (represented by photochemical ozone creation potential)
GWP 4440050 CO2 equivalents
with minus 41 %). Energy consumption is reduced by 33% for the
remanufactured transmission compared with a newly manufactured AP 21553 SO2 equivalents
MQ 250.
Table 3: EU 15 normalisation factors (in thousand metric tons).
Figure 5 compares the environmental impacts of the various stages
in the production of a new transmission and transmission

Figure 4: Environmental impacts of transmission production.

Automotive Life Cycle Engineering 71

Figure 5: Normalised environmental impacts of the various production stages.

5 CONCLUSION [2] International Organization for Standardization (2006): ISO

This study demonstrates the benefits of the remanufacturing of 14044: Environmental Management Life Cycle Assessment
transmissions with regard to the environmental profile of the requirements and guidelines, International Organization for
components. The remanufactured transmission performs Standardization, Geneva.
significantly better than the newly manufactured component in [3] Arning, S. (2005): Identifikation Ergebnisbeeinflussender
terms of all environmental impact categories considered. The Gren bei Getriebe-kobilanzen, Diploma thesis,
savings are chiefly due to lower power consumption and material Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg.
requirements as a result of the reuse of components. [4] Laumer, M. (2011): Vergleichende Umweltbilanz gem DIN
The remaining environmental impact of transmission ISO 14040 ber die Wiederaufbereitung eines Pkw-
remanufacturing is largely determined by electric power and Schaltgetriebes gegenber der Neufertigung, Diploma thesis,
material requirement for the manufacture of new replacement parts. Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg.
Thus, for further optimization, subsequent analyses and activities [5] Koffler, C.; Krinke, S.; Schebek, L.; Buchgeister, J. (2007):
will have to focus on these two aspects. Volkswagen slimLCI a procedure for streamlined inventory
modelling within Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of vehicles. In:
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14040: Environmental Management Life Cycle Assessment
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Standardization, Geneva.
72 Automotive Life Cycle Engineering

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