The assessment of the life-cycle of a product (LCM), which up to a few years ago was a subject restricted to but few specialists, has lately aroused the increasing interest of industry. The reason lies in the fact that LCM promises to be a useful tool in defining many technico-strategic choices made to be in harmony with the environment.
This paper regards two examples of use of LCM methodology in FIAT Auto for choosing design-specification materials and for defining the possibilities of employing recycled materials.
In the first case, the possibility of using two alternative materials, cast iron and aluminium, is examined for building an engine block.
The second case regards the evaluation of the possibility of using recycled materials by studying two alternatives, i.e. either their reutilization on the same component or their “cascade” use on components with less demanding performance requirements. The result of this assessment has been indispensable in defining the reutilization flows of materials in the framework of the F.A.RE. (Fiat Auto recycling) project.