Bachelor and Master Theses

To apply for conducting this thesis, please contact the thesis supervisor(s).
Title: Assessing and Managing Component-Level CO₂ Information for Digital Product Traceability in PCB Manufacturing
Subject: Industrial Systems, Innovation och design, Produktion, Produktutveckling
Level: Advanced
Description:

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) contain numerous electronic components and materials sourced from different suppliers. Understanding their environmental impact requires information about component characteristics, material composition, manufacturing processes, and associated CO₂ emissions. However, this information is often distributed across bills of materials (BOMs), supplier documentation, environmental databases, and internal manufacturing systems. 

EEPAB, an electronics manufacturing services company in Eskilstuna, is collaborating with Mälardalen University (MDU) through the SmartCircle research project to investigate how digital technologies can support environmental and circular economy practices in PCB manufacturing. One identified development opportunity is to assess the availability of component-level CO₂ information and investigate how this information could be organized, managed, and communicated at PCB level.

Aim of the Thesis

To assess the availability and usability of component-level CO₂ information and develop a practical approach to structuring and managing it to support PCB-level environmental assessment and future circular economy decision-making.

Research Questions

  1. What component-level data are required for PCB CO₂ assessment, and to what extent are these data available and accessible through existing information sources?
  2. How can component-level CO₂ information be assessed, structured, and managed to support digital product traceability and information exchange across organizational boundaries?
  3. How could the resulting environmental information support sustainability and circular economy decision-making in PCB manufacturing?

Expected Outcomes

The main outcome will be a component-level CO₂ data assessment and a proposed information management approach for digital product traceability in PCB manufacturing.

 

 
Start date: 2027-01-15
End date: 2027-05-15
Prerequisites:

The thesis is suitable for master's students in Production and Product Development, Industrial Engineering and Management, Innovation and Design, Industrial Systems, or related fields. Students should have an interest in environmental assessment, digitalization, manufacturing information systems, and circular economy. Basic knowledge of data analysis, lifecycle assessment (LCA), or environmental data management is an advantage but is not a strict requirement.

 
IDT supervisors: Koteshwar Chirumalla
Examiner:
Comments:

The thesis will be conducted in collaboration with EEPAB and Mälardalen University within the SmartCircle research project. Students will investigate an industrial environmental information challenge using available component, supplier, and manufacturing data. 

 
Company contact:

EEPAB – Eskilstuna, Sweden

EEPAB is an Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) company working with PCB manufacturing, assembly, testing, and product development. The company participates in the SmartCircle research project with Mälardalen University to investigate how digital technologies and circular economy strategies can support more sustainable manufacturing and product lifecycle management.