Secondments 2023 UNICT-AAEL

Salvatore Cannella, a member of UNICT, recently completed a series of secondments at AAEL Sevilla, totaling 2.2 person/months. These secondments were part of work package 3 of the project, led by the University of Seville, which aimed to develop in-depth case studies from non-academic partners focusing on supply chain modeling. The research activities were focused on the exploration of Circular Economy Supply Chains Archetypes, with a particular emphasis on WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Supply Chains.

During the secondments, Salvatore had the opportunity to collaborate with Carlos J Bejarano-Glez and Irene Lagares Araujo from AAEL, as well as researchers from the Industrial Management Research Group (IMRG) of the University of Seville, including Rebecca Fussone, Paz Peres Gonzales, and Jose Manuel Framiñán. 

As part of the project, two visits were conducted to key companies in Andalusia that are actively involved in circular economy development. One of these companies is RECILEC, which specializes in the recycling and management of electronic waste. RECILEC focuses on recovering valuable materials from discarded electronic devices, such as computers, mobile phones, tablets, and other electronic equipment. The company aims to responsibly reuse or recycle materials such as precious metals, plastics, glass, and other components. Another visited company is EXXITA BE CIRCULAR, which has made significant strides in reducing emissions and promoting sustainable practices within the circular economy. The company has recovered 500,000 devices and reduced emissions by 110,000 tons. EXXITA BE CIRCULAR is dedicated to the recovery and recycling of industrial and urban waste, with the goal of reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainability.

In addition to his research activities, Salvatore also conducted seminars on the circular economy in supply chains for students enrolled in the Master’s program in Industrial Organization at the University of Seville. Furthermore, he collaborated with colleagues from the IMRG in supervising Master’s theses of Erasmus students from the University of Catania and the University of Palermo, focusing on sustainable supply chains.

The preliminary research results obtained during the secondments are scheduled to be disseminated in five international conferences to be held in the second half of 2023. These conferences include the 30th EurOMA 2023, the 50th International Conference on Computers & Industrial Engineering, the 7th International Workshop on Autonomous Remanufacturing, the 11th International Workshop on Simulation for Energy, Sustainable Development & Environment, and the 34th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Italian Association of Management Engineering. These conferences will showcase the progress made in the project.