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From Data to Decisions: Leveraging Large Language Models and Digital Product Passports for Data Driven Remanufacturing

  • Yanchao Tan
  • , Matthias Wolf
  • , Finn Bail
  • , Tobias Lachnit
  • , Xingyu Li*
  • , Gisela Lanza
  • , John W. Sutherland
  • , Ragu Athinarayanan
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Remanufacturing plays a key role in advancing the circular economy by extending product lifecycles and reducing resource consumption. However, its effectiveness is often constrained by incomplete lifecycle data and high uncertainty in the returned products. Digital Product Passports (DPPs) enhance transparency and traceability, but their heterogeneous, unstructured, and dynamically evolving data within them limits the effectiveness of obtaining actionable insights for remanufacturing. Generative AI (GenAI), particularly large language models (LLMs) ofer new capabilities for interpreting heterogeneous data, maintaining long-term context across circular production, including collection, disassembly, re-manufacturing, testing, and redistribution. This paper explores the convergence of DPP, GenAI, and remanufacturing, evaluating their synergies and integration challenges. We propose a generative agent-based model where LLMs interact dynamically with DPPs to support real-time quality assessment, operational planning, instruction generation, and interactive diagnostics. Finally, we identify key research directions and technical challenges for building interoperable, GenAI-enhanced platforms that realize data-driven, DPP-enabled remanufacturing.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)134-139
Number of pages6
JournalProcedia CIRP
Volume139
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2026
Event13th CIRP Global Web Conference, CIRPe 2025 - Online
Duration: 16 Oct 202517 Oct 2025

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
    SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
  2. SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
    SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

Keywords

  • Circular Economy
  • Digital Product Passport
  • Large Language Models
  • Remanufacturing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Fields of Expertise

  • Mobility & Production

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