Abstract
To address the increasing complexity of product characteristics, demand fluctuations, and higher costs of raw materials, along with pressures for fast-er integration of decarbonized energy resources, manufacturing companies require flexible production systems. These systems should minimize waste, achieve faster cycle times, and deliver high-quality products to stay competitive. In this regard, Product Design-for-Excellence (DfX) principles have gained significant importance in recent years. DfX enables all management levels to perform quick and comprehensive design inputs and performance evaluations, leveraging product lifecycle management platforms. LeanDfX, a dedicated Lean approach for product development performance assessment, has been previously proposed. This work builds upon LeanDfX by presenting a multi-dimensional approach to support design and performance assessment of production systems throughout its lifecycle. This approach coherently integrates different production knowledge areas and strategic foundations (e.g., Lean Manufacturing, Strategic Aspects, Sustainability, and Circular Economy) for the effectiveness and efficiency evaluation of production systems. The research hypothesis revolves around the translational strategy of extending and transforming the LeanDfX methodology for application in production system design within factory operations. This new architecture is presented in the context of the European project RENEE, devoted to designing and deploying remanufacturing processes for a more sustainable, circular, and competitive industry.

Abstract
As the need for enhanced material performance continues to escalate in several sectors, addressing complex parameters such as economic feasibility, ease of manufacturing, and production volume, rises the need for multidomain decision-making tools. In order to explore and streamline this process, this study employed the novel Material Design-for-eXcellence methodology to investigate polymer material selection in aeronautical and power transformer components, using additive manufacturing. The study assessed the X's selected (mechanical, thermal, physical, cost, dielectric, and environmental) by assigning weights to these factors, and identifying the optimal materials for each application. In the aeronautical context, PEI+GF30 was chosen as the best solution, attaining an overall effectiveness of 79 %, primarily due to its exceptional mechanical characteristics. The use of a thermoplastic can lead to lighter components while ensuring the same technical performance, enabling longer flight duration. Conversely, in the energy sector for power transformers, PSU obtained a 78 % score, largely attributable to its outstanding dielectric properties. The application of additive methods on transformers' insulating parts leads to optimized channels for the mineral oil, enhancing its thermal and dielectric performance. The obtained results underscored the importance of tailored material selection approaches, adjusted to specific application requirements. The importance of comprehending and adapting to diverse contexts for effective material design and implementation is also highlighted.

Abstract
Coffee capsules have gained high levels of popularity in the last decades due to their convenience of use, flavour choices, and consistent extraction quality. As governmental bodies are promoting more circular solutions for packaging products, concerns have been raised regarding the environmental impacts of single-use coffee capsules, namely their end-of-life treatment and effective recyclability. This paper presents a novel design based on thin steel sheet material application for new packaging solutions that can support a more circular economy. To validate this new design, a framework was presented for a cross-assessment of Life Cycle Assessment with Circularity Analysis to compare the new tinplate capsule with conventional polypropylene and aluminium capsules. The novel design is more circular (0.97 in the material circularity indicator), in comparison with the polypropylene (0.1) and aluminium (0.80) conventional capsules, due to the ferromagnetic properties that allow for better effectiveness during sorting in urban packaging recycling facilities. As for the environmental assessment, the tinplate has higher environmental impacts than the aluminium and the polypropylene capsules (more 63 % and more 92 %, respectively) due to the high energy intensity processes required to produce this material. These results demonstrate that the novel tinplate capsule should complement the strong results in circularity with further improvements in its environmental performance, namely by the transition of the steel industry to the upcoming generation of decarbonized steel production.

Abstract
The transportation industry focuses on reducing vehicle weight for fuel economy and emissions. This emphasis promotes the use of coaches, which raises concerns about passenger safety in frontal collisions. The proposal is to correlate the crashworthiness of coaches with the replacement of fibreglass composite materials by a state-of-the-art polymer (DCPD). Based on the ECE R29 standard, FEM models solved by Pamcrash (R) assess the vehicle's crashworthiness. Cross-referencing these results with the Eco-Design X technique, two models are evaluated in terms of environmental impact. The LeanDfX methodology involves multiple analyses for design domains, including model optimisation, manufacturing processes, and eco-design. On a performance scale of 0% to 100%, different 'X' domains are evaluated. The Eco-Design study allowed the assessing the environmental impacts of the proposed solution compared to the original models, is conducted using Simapro v9.2.0.2 and the ReCiPe 2016 methodology. The novel design proposed modifications to the models resulted in significant structural behaviour improvements for driver's physical integrity. The cross results of Design-for-Crashworthiness and Design-for-Eco-Design using the innovative LeanDfX framework provide a new perspective to be integrated into the automotive industry. The use of DCPD is expected to lead to a more crashworthy and environmentally friendly design, while ensuring passenger safety.

Abstract
Sectorization consists of grouping the basic units of a large territory to deal with a complex problem involving different criteria. Resectorization rearranges a current sectorization avoiding substantial changes, given a set of conditions. The paper considers the case of the distribution of geographic areas of fire brigades in the north of Portugal so that they can protect and rescue the population surrounding the fire stations. Starting from a current sectorization, assuming the geographic and population characteristics of the areas and the fire brigades’ response capacity, we provide an optimized resectorization considering two objectives: to reduce the rescue time by maximizing the compactness criterion, and to avoid overload situations by maximizing the equilibrium criterion. The solution method is based on the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II). Finally, computational results are presented and discussed. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
Sectorization is the partition of a set or region into smaller parts, taking into account certain objectives. Sectorization problems appear in real-life situations, such as school or health districting, logistic planning, maintenance operations or transportation. The diversity of applications, the complexity of the problems and the difficulty in finding good solutions warrant sectorization as a relevant research area. Decision Support Systems (DSS) are computerised information systems that may provide quick solutions to decision-makers and researchers and allow for observing differences between various scenarios. The paper is an overview of the development of a DSS for Sectorization, its extent, architecture, implementation steps and benefits. It constitutes a quite general system, for it handles various types of problems, which the authors grouped as (i) basic sectorization problems; (ii) sectorization problems with service centres; (iii) re-sectorization problems; and (iv) dynamic sectorization problems. The new DSS is expected to facilitate the resolution of various practitioners’ problems and support researchers, academics and students in sectorization. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.