Engineering of the institutionalization of the circular economy at the level of casting production

This paper is motivated by the necessity of introducing the principles of circular economy at the level of different social – economic activities, and from this point of view one of the fields with a special potential is that of the manufacture of castings. Objective: to connect to the organizing and application of the methodology of the circular economy principles. The proposed method is an innovating one, being connected to the use of institutionalization engineering. Formulating the subject: The subject formulated to be solved aims at the introduction of new approaches, defined through institutionalization engineering, which proposes to set the correlation of actions between the specifics of the circular economy and the specific elements of the manufacture of castings. Research method: An institutional structuring operation was imposed for the optimization of the research method, in which different versions interact at the following levels: the level of public policies, the level of the regulatory framework, the level of technical solutions and the level of financing solutions and financial instruments. The determination of the optimal solution established in a dynamic context, favorable for the requirements of the different actors present within the process, appeals to the elements of critical thinking, specific for the engineer’s actions. Achievement of the research activity: The research activity structures a methodology of quantifying the contributions of each stage of the manufacturing process for castings at the fulfilling of the specific conditions of the circular economy, indicating the critical areas of action for more efficient actions of the circular economy, according to the market economy requirements, where there is a potential of implementing the technical solutions by quantizing the financial solutions and the opportunity of using the financial instruments. The major contribution of the research: The proposed methodology, with examples at the level of castings manufacture, sets the bases of a new field of action of the engineering thinking, namely, that of circular economy institutionalization functioning. Conclusions of the research activity: The proposed methodology represents the bases of establishing a new instrument of action at the level of institutionalized functioning of the circular economy.


Introduction
The paper is motivated by the necessity of introducing the principles of the circular economy at the level of the different socio-economic activities, and one of the areas with a great potential in this respect is the production of molded parts. The objective is related to the structure of a methodology for applying the principles of the circular economy, and the proposed method is a novel one, being related to the use of institutionalization engineering. The problem to be solved is to introduce a new approach, defined by the institutionalization engineering, which aims to establish the correlation of the actions between the specifics of the circular economy and the specific elements of the casting production. In the optimization of the methodology of analysis, a structure of institutional functioning has been imposed, in which the following layers interact in different variants: the level of public policies, the level of the regulatory framework, the level of the technical solutions and the level of financing solutions and the financial instruments, the schematic presentation is made in Figure 1. The determination of the optimal solution set in a dynamic context, favorable to the requirements of the various actors present in the process, calls for critical thinking elements specific to the engineering actions. The research activity structures a methodology to quantify the contributions of each stage of the casting process in order to meet the conditions specific to the functioning of the circular economy, indicating the critical areas for action to streamline the circular economy in line with the requirements of the market economy where there is potential for implementation. Technical solutions are assessed by quantifying financial solutions and the opportunity to use financial instruments. The proposed methodology, exemplified in the manufacturing of molded parts, sets the basis for a new field of action of engineering thinking, that of the engineering of the institutionalization of the circular economy. The openness offered by the proposed methodology is the basis for the creation of a new instrument of action at the level of the institutionalized functioning of the circular economy. From the examination of the specialized literature we can see the existence of some concerns in the field of reporting the production of molded parts to the requirements of the circular economy. It is worth noting, in this context, the methodology for assessing the tendencies in the manufacturing of molded parts from the perspective of the circular economy [1]. At the same time, at the level of the practical actions, the report of studies and researches on the consolidation of the circular economy through projects of increased exploitation of the industrial products by the participation of six Centers Techniques Industriels from France, which reminds that starting within the year 1997, started the incorporation of the spent foundry mixture into building materials [2]. Institutionally, there is a tendency to materialize procedures for determining the material cycle in an economy [3]. Examples of economic and social structures are presented at the level of the trajectories of enterprises in achieving the objectives of the circular economy [4]. An institutional synthesis of the institutional developments for the promotion of the circular economy highlights the constituent elements of the circular economy that have the vocation to be directly integrated into government actions [5]. Also, the circular economy institutionalization is characterized by the annual report of the circular economy in the competition for resources [6] and the typological construction of the regional programs of the circular economy for mobilizing resources and minimizing the losses through the innovative regional economy [7]. Historically, given the authors' concerns and concerns, we want to present two Romanian landmarks related to certain stages of the economy. Thus, in the "Wire Industry Survey SA" published in 1938, it is formulated in a modem manner for those times, comparable to those present at present, "If iron and steel have gained more and more utilization, facilitating light and solid constructions, while the spread of known warehouses to date is limited. The need for iron and steel increases to a greater extent than the reuse of old iron can help us. Other means of saving have been sought, being found in: suitable methods for executing a thing with minimal material expense; Constructive forms appropriate to the demands and qualities of the materials; Raising steel by adding other metals to increase its strength; Protection against acids and humidity. ... The exhibition (Dusseldorf Exhibition of 1937) aims to show that old things have an appreciable economic value, and they can serve to manufacture new objects, and thus have a raw material character. ... Thus, in the case of scrap iron, it shows how to sort, cut large pieces, press in packs, which are then taken to the high furnace where they are mixed with iron ore to be rebuilt in cast iron or sent to the Martin or Electric steel for the production of steel, saving up to 80 % of the ore. The process is also applied for a long time and in our country (Romania), with the electric furnace in operation at the Turda Plain plant, it brings its contribution, using all those scrap iron that remain after the lamination of the wires and its other sections." [8]. At theoretical level [9] This prefigures smartly and realistically "the need to establish the institutional framework given by the defined convergences of public policies, juristic regulations, technical solutions and economic and financial ones in the sense of ensuring sustainable development." [10].

General considerations regarding the institutionalization of the circular economy.
Below are some elements of Professor Vasile Soporan's synthesis on the institutionalization of the circular economy [11]. It presents the following elements of the analysis made for the institutionalization of the circular economy: triggering mechanisms for the development of the circular economy; Motivation for "circular economy institutionalization"; The values at which the circular economy is reported; The conditionalities envisaged from the perspective of the circular economy; The concept of circular economy; The fields of action of the circular economy; Specific approaches to "circular economy institutionalization"; The questions necessary to substantiate the "engineering of the circular economy institutionalization".
The triggering of the mechanisms for the development of the circular economy took into account the following: institutional reporting to the continuity of the three states: the past, the present and the future; The existence or perception of discontinuities by their emphasis by Marc Halevy [12] presents the following forms: ecological discontinuities, informational discontinuities, organizational discontinuities, economic discontinuities and discontinuities of the meaning of life; Individual awareness of needs and development materializes in the community space, in its specific forms, at the philosophical, theological-religious, political, economic level, from the perspective of the rejection of the order of nature triggered by the political order, the social order, the religious order and the military order, Some economic-social structure, trying to optimize the balance of division and hierarchy between the close and the enemy.
The motivation for "circular economy institutionalization" is based on the functioning of the whole by the synergistic cumulation of actions designed and developed cumulatively at the level of actions of four levels already mentioned in the presentation.
Circular economy reporting takes into account that the material, product or service has an expression at the following values: the functional value; material value, energy value, environmental value and social value. Correct assessment should take into account the considerations considered in the design of a shaped material, product or service: conditionalities of functionality, safety conditions, machining conditions, environmental conditioning, durability conditioning and conditioning disposal at the end of the life cycle.
The concept of circular economy used is based on Vincez Aurez et Laurent Georgeault's wording: "The circular economy is a principle of economic organization that aims at systematically reducing the amount of raw materials and energy on the whole of a product or service life cycle and at all levels of organization of a society, in order to ensure the protection of biodiversity and the proper development of individuals. At an institutional level, the circular economy consists of three areas of action with seven orientation axes: D1 -waste management (A11 -waste recycling axis); D2 -economic supply field (A21 -sustainable provisioning axis, A22eco-concept axis, A23 -industrial and territorial ecology axis, A24 -functional economy axis); D3 -the daily consumption area (A31 -the length of service life, A32 -the responsible consumption generation axis) " [13].
The specific approaches to the "engineering of the circular economy institutionalization" are proposed to be carried out as follows: addressing the issue (specific status and issues, state of the public policies, regulatory framework, technical and procedural solutions, financial solutions and financial instruments); Institutionalization of processes (defining the actors of institutionally regulated processes, institutions, institutionalized instruments, institutional actions, taxation and institutionalized financing); The technical solution of the problem; Financial settlement of the problem.

Particularities of the production of molded parts from the perspective of the circular economy
From the perspective of the circular economy, the particularities of casting production concern the following aspects, presented in the seminar "Situation of the production of molded parts in Romania and the needs for structuring the vocational training" [14]: the evolution of production of castings at global level (2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015); The structure of the production of molded parts, with specifications in the year 2015; The economic status of casting producers; The specific investment made by molded cast makers, exemplifying the situation in 2015; The average production of industrial establishments, with examples at the level of the first 10 producers of castings and Romania; The share of the casting production in the specific technologies for putting into operation the material for machine building; Global institutional conclusions on the issues faced by molded cast producers; The motivation for the sustainable production of molded parts from the perspective of circular economy; The conditionality of the research activities at the manufacturing stage of castings. Evolution of casting production is presented using the World Casting Production annual reports published by WFO and published in December of each year in Modern Casting [15] and a cumulative synthetic report of WFO [17].
From the analysis of the mentioned WFO reports, the global institutional conclusions on the issues faced by the producers of castings in the last half century show: the transition from the "linear economy" to the "circular economy"; The emergence of conditions for the use of material resources; Conditions for the use of energy resources; Imposing conditioning on health and the environment; The need for intelligent use of complex computerized processes or adaptation to the requirements of the "digital agenda"; The influence of sophisticated complex processes at the global market (instability by deglobalization); Diversification of use areas for castings made by casting; Increasing characteristics and requirements in operation; Increasing competition from materials and manufacturing technologies for shaped products.
The motivation for the sustainable production of castings from the perspective of the cyclical economy is determined by the quantitative importance of molded parts, which exceeded 100 million tons, the significant consumption of resources needed for their production, the impact processes generate on the environment and the fact that hazardous substances are used to a significant extent, and generated waste also falls into this category. From the perspective of the presented ones, it is clear that this branch of industry is suitable for analysis from the perspective of the circular economy. The position is supported by the fact that the serviced fields are of a special complexity, aiming at a deployment from the automotive industry to nuclear power. Therefore, the European document "Towards a Circular Economy: zero waste program for Europe" [15] finds an appropriate field of application in the casting industry, at least through the design and innovation approaches for a circular economy: "Reducing the amount of material needed to perform a particular service (easy load); Extending product life (sustainability); Reducing the use of energy and materials in the production and use phases (efficiency); Reducing the use of hazardous materials or difficult to recycle in products and production processes (substitution); The creation of outlets for secondary (recycled) raw materials (based on standard, public procurement, etc.); Designing products that are easier to maintain, repair, upgrade, re-fabricate or recycle (eco-design); The development of services that consumers need in this regard (maintenance / repair services etc); Stimulating and supporting waste reduction and quality separation activities by consumers; Stimulating separation and collection systems that minimize the costs of recycling and reuse; Facilitating the grouping of activities to prevent the transformation of by-products (industrial symbiosis) into waste and encouraging the extension and improvement of the consumer choice through rental, loan or exchange of services as an alternative to the holding of products, At the same time, the interests of consumers in terms of costs, protection, information, contractual clauses, insurance aspects etc. " [16].
It is therefore appreciated that the research activities at the manufacturing of casting parts also concern the issue of the development of the circular economy through the conditions that impinge upon it. Thus, the field of casting production, even if it is one of the oldest technological processes for putting metal materials in their functional form, and not only them, requires a permanent connection to the conditions of the socio-economic activities. The major needs of innovation in this area can be grouped into two levels: the level of technical and technological innovation and the level of change in the way markets are approached. From a pragmatic point of view, at the level of actors present in the production of cast pieces, the rules of survival and development make for the substantial collaborative dynamics between the information and the actions carried out.
Starting from the objective of the paper and in view of the activities carried out within the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, in the last years, from a multidisciplinary perspective, we consider the following topics addressed in the context of the eco-responsibility needs: research on the design and functioning of "Collaborative Entrepreneurial Platform" in casting industry as a virtual action tool; production of molded parts in terms of digital communication requirements in the virtual space; research on the development of the methodology for assessing the tendencies in the production of castings from the perspective of the circular economy; contributions to the determination of the "unnecessary part" generated in the manufacturing processes of the molded parts and determination of the solutions for increasing its usefulness from the perspective of the circular economy; research on the optimization and digitization of institutional waste audit procedures under the conditions of casting production; research on the use of "Life Cycle Analysis -ACV" in the hierarchy of manufacturing processes of molded parts at the level of provision of conditions related to the provision of sustainable development; researches on the use of "critical thinking" in the manufacturing of molded parts; optimization of engineering training systems in the manufacturing of molded parts through an AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) hierarchy at the level of transversal and professional skills; rewriting casting manufacturing processes from the perspective of using fast prototyping and 3D printing capabilities. Grouped in one major theme, the

Considerations on the Model Approach for the Manufacturing of Castings from the Circular Economy perspective
Following the analysis of the casting approach variants, a method has been used that is structured on the schematic representations of Figure 1.
The criteria for evaluating public policies and the regulatory framework from a cyclical economy perspective take into account the incidents that can be created at the economic, environmental, social and administrative levels. The economic incidence is based on the following criteria: the financial viability of measures to promote the circular economy; the possibility of economic development; the possibility of partnering. Impacts related to environmental protection are assessed in terms of the following criteria: the possibility of reducing the environmental impact; the possibility of waste reduction at source; creating a global environmental advantage. Social incidents are appreciated by the following criteria: acceptance of solutions offered to the public and stakeholders; the absence of risks with negative side-effects other than those related to environmental protection. Administrative impacts are measurable according to the following criteria: conformity assurance; ease of office; ease of administration; the measurable character of the processes through administrative formulas.
The evaluation of economic instruments that promote the circular economy at the manufacturing stage of castings is based on a set of indicators of appreciation of the effect of production on the environment: energy efficiency; the content of recycled materials at the process level; recyclability of the product at the end of its life cycle; water resource economy; conserving resources through process deployment; GHG emission at production level; measures to prevent waste in the manufacturing process; the percentage of renewable materials used in manufacturing; the negative effects of the manufacturing process on workers, animals, plants, air, water and soil; the content of toxic material in the casting process; the quantities of packaging used in the manufacturing process; transport distances carried out in the manufacturing and dispatching of cast parts; facilitating repairs and refurbishment of castings; managing the castings at the end of the life cycle. From the perspective of the significance of the indicators presented, the economic instruments used for the promotion of the circular economy have the following expression: green (ecological) supply; additional usage fees for the resources used; consignment systems for technological infrastructure usable in manufacturing processes; waste management incentive systems for the production of molded parts from a circular economy perspective; recycling of the solid waste generated; application of the principle the user pays; obtaining credits for greenhouse gas reduction situations; application of the wider producer responsibility.
The analysis of the technological and procedural processes used from the perspective of the circular economy and the functioning of the economic instruments for the promotion of the circular economy represent the most important area in the evaluation of the resources that can be used to achieve the objectives of the circular economy. The stages of the manufacturing process under consideration are: the analysis of the specific information that influences the field (market analysis, the analysis of the regulations influencing the production of castings, the analysis of the processes evolution and of the technological infrastructure); analysis of production preparation from the point of view of the available technologies and technological infrastructure (analysis of constructive design, analysis of technological design, analysis of the technological manufacturing preparation); analysis of the casting process (analysis of direct activities, analysis of indirect activities); analysis of the results of the manufacturing process (the stage of the analysis of the useful part of the manufacturing process -the cast parts delivered to the unproductive parts resulting from the manufacturing process, the unpleasant parts resulting from the manufacturing process); life cycle exploitation and disposal (re-use of molded parts, recycling of waste parts, waste management); analysis of other phases that contribute to casting (analysis of the production and distribution of utilities, analysis of other phases of the process); process analysis at the level of the whole from the perspective of compliance with environmental conditions and sustainable development (pollution intensity, quantification of specific energy consumption per unit of product, other consumption per product unit, waste generated per unit of unit, consumption of recycled material introduced on the production process at the product unit, consumption of recycled material introduced into the production process on the product stream, energy consumption recovered in the casting process). Within this activity, the stages of the manufacturing process of casting together with the measures envisaged to achieve the objectives of the circular economy are presented in Table 1. Table 1. The stages of the casting process and the measures projected to achieve the circular economy (selection of points in the analysis carried out).

No.
Step or stage of the technological process Specific measures projected in terms of circular economy

. Making process analysis and modification
Reducing energy consumption and materials in the process of developing specific product unit. Increasing the use of recycled materials specific process for obtaining the castings. Avoiding placing in the batch composition of the elements that hinder the recycling process of castings at the end of their life cycle. Avoiding substances that generate hazardous waste generated at the level that causes a reduction in the possible use specific circular economy. 3 1

The need to design the collaborative entrepreneurial platform for the durable manufacture of "PAC -FDPT" castings
Given the complexity of the issues that arise in the transition of the manufacture of castings from the linear economy to the objectives of the circular economy, the fundamental proposal that has been developed since 2013 [17] is related to the construction of an entrepreneurial platform to solve the issue proposed and set forth. The entrepreneurial approach of global factors of influence to the requirements of the manufacturing castings from the perspective of small-sized companies and the conditions imposed by an increasingly globalised market. The platform is a portal that can bring together the well-defined partners of a community, but also the outsiders, who try out the private offers and requests for information, advice, design, processing, services, promotion, sales, etc. within a virtual space, in a given social and economic context, aiming at concluding some transactions.
The "PAC -FDPT" missions are expressed as follows: direct virtual business relationship between the members of the platform; strengthening the presence of small-sized companies on the global market; supporting a strategic concept such as the development of a specific market of materials and the economic development of a particular geographical area; serving an extended and associative economic entity among several economic stakeholders organised into clusters, development centres or agencies; analysing the offers and requests of the participants and the economic stakeholders; ensuring their structuring on different criteria: formal qualification, competence, specific activity, medium-term development intent; demand and supply consolidation, which involves: aggregating data on the demand and supply of internal markets of organisations, assessing the critical level from which they are relevant, aggregating the relevant supply and demand by material / symbolic relationships between the participants who generated it; participation in the virtual economy, meaning that once consolidated, the demand and supply are exposed to the global virtual marketplace with a view to concluding transactions with external partners; business intermediation for the benefit of its members and partners; mediating demand and supply, by ensuring interconnection with the participants within the virtual pole established; operation according to the "business incubator" principle by starting up businesses (start-ups) through assistance, advice, training; supporting the launch of innovative projects and their development with the help of the virtual environment; managing the creative potential and the science of making it available at the level of the social network created, at the level of mentors, trainers and trainees; developing a stronger demand and offer for a much stronger global market presence; achieving an effective platform to support the Romanian inclusion and consolidation markets and their alignment with the requirements of global markets.
The "PAC -FPT" architecture features the following elements: "PAC -FPT -PS" static platform and "PAC -FPT -PD" dynamic platform. The attributes of the static platform "PAC-FPT-PS" are shown in Figure 2, and the components of the dynamic "PAC-FPT-PD" platform in Figure 3. The "PAC -FPT -PS" instruments aim the following aspects: 1. Theoretical aspects regarding the manufacturing of castings under the circular economy; 2. The current situation of the manufacturing of castings with respect to the observance of the rules of the circular economy; 3. Mechanisms of functioning of the castings market in terms of circular economy; 4. Circular economy tools adapted to the manufacture of castings; 5. Public policies regarding the manufacture of castings under the circular economy; 6. Regulatory framework for the manufacture of castings under the circular economy; 7. Technical and technological solutions for ensuring the manufacture of castings under the circular economy; 8. Funding solutions and financial instruments for ensuring the manufacture of castings under the circular economy; 9. Examples of good practice and branches for the manufacture of castings under the cyclical economy; 10. The stakeholders of the manufacturing process of castings under the circular economy (level of action: local, regional, national, European and global): 10

Conclusions
The present paper emphasizes the importance of the transition process of the castings manufacturing from the modalities of carrying out the transition from "linear economy" to the "circular economy". At the same time, this paper, which aims to continue the work presented in recent years, presents a methodology of ensuring that processes are carried out at the level of the objectives of the circular economy. Within this framework, from the perspective of the circular economy, the following stages are followed (the process is generalized, with the potential to develop in other productive domains as well): analysis of the domain specific information according to the principles of economic intelligence; analysis of manufacturing preparation in terms of technology and technological infrastructure available; analysis of the castings manufacturing process; analysis of the results of the manufacturing process; analysis of the exploitation of castings and their elimination at the end of the life cycle; analysis of the other phases that contribute to casting; process analysis at general level from the perspective of compliance with environmental conditions and sustainable development. Considering the complexity of the productive field, related to the market requirements from the perspective of the circular economy, the importance of the position of the actors present in the process is emphasized: the uses of castings, the beneficiary of castings, their producer and the supplier of the materials and the energy resources used. The method of analysis regarding the achievement of the objectives of the circular economy included encompassing and quantifying the effects of the process from the perspective of sustainable development and environmental protection through the evaluation indicators: consumption of material per unit of product, energy consumption per unit of product; the effects on the product unit created on the environment; generation of by-products per unit of product; generation of by-products on the total unused portion produced; generation of waste per unit of product; generation of recycled materials per unit of product and on the generated unused part; the share of recycled materials on the life cycle of castings with direct use on the life cycle of cast parts with direct use on the casting stream; the share of recycled materials on other technological flows; the share of recycled materials generated by other technological fluxes used in the casting process; the share of energy recovered at the level of the technological flow with direct use; the share of recovered energy delivered to other beneficiaries; the social and environmental effects that they create. Regarding the perspective of the procedures and indicators, the importance of introducing digitization at the level of casting manufacturing through the collaborative entrepreneurial platform is emphasized.