Remanufacturing Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Since it first appeared in literature in the early nineties, the Circular Economy (CE) has grown in significance amongst academic, policymaking, and industry groups. The latest developments in the CE field have included the interrogation... more

Since it first appeared in literature in the early nineties, the Circular Economy (CE) has grown in significance amongst academic, policymaking, and industry groups. The latest developments in the CE field have included the interrogation of CE as a paradigm, and its relationship with sustainability and other concepts, including iterative definitions. Research has also identified a significant opportunity to apply circular approaches to our rapidly changing industrial system, including manufacturing processes and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) which, with data, is enabling the latest advances in digital technologies (DT). Research which fuses these two areas has not been extensively explored. This is the first paper to provide a synergistic and integrative CE-DT framework which offers directions for policymakers and guidance for future research through a review of the integrated fields of CE and I4.0. To achieve this, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR; n = 174) of the empirical literature related to digital technologies, I4.0, and circular approaches is conducted. The SLR is based on peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and early 2018. This paper also summarizes the current trends in CE research related to manufacturing. The findings confirm that while CE research has been on the increase, research on digital technologies to enable a CE is still relatively untouched. While the " interdisciplinarity " of CE research is well-known, the findings reveal that a substantial percentage is engineering-focused. The paper concludes by proposing a synergistic and integrative CE-DT framework for future research developed from the gaps in the current research landscape.

Circular Economy is a means to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns. However, it is still at an embryonic stage of implementation in manufacturing companies. Given its potential, the household appliance industry is a... more

Circular Economy is a means to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns. However, it is still at an embryonic stage of implementation in manufacturing companies. Given its potential, the household appliance industry is a promising arena for the adoption of Circular Economy. Thus, this study aims to investigate and systematize how Circular Economy has been adopted in the household appliance industry, through a multiple case study research. Twenty cases are analyzed following a Research Framework, to map: (i) the Circular Economy 4R strategies of reduce, reuse, remanufacture and recycle; (ii) the Circular Economy levers, i.e., whether circular product design practices, servitized business models or supply chain management actions are undertaken; (iii) the role of digital 4.0 technologies as enablers; (iv) the benefits achieved. The analysis showed that servitized business models and supply chain management actions are widely used levers, while little attention is devoted...

Owing to the technological innovations and the changing consumer perceptions, remanufacturing has gained vast economic potential in the past decade. Nevertheless, major OEMs, in a variety of sectors, remain reluctant about establishing... more

Owing to the technological innovations and the changing consumer perceptions, remanufacturing has gained vast economic potential in the past decade. Nevertheless, major OEMs, in a variety of sectors, remain reluctant about establishing their own remanufacturing capability and use recycling as a means to satisfy the extended producer responsibility. Their main concerns seem to be the potential for the cannibalization of their primary market by remanufactured products and the uncertainty in the return stream in terms of its volume and quality. This paper aims at assisting OEMs in the development of their remanufacturing strategy, with an outlook of pursuing the opportunities presented by the inherent uncertainties. We present a two-stage stochastic closed-loop supply chain design model that incorporates the uncertainties in the market size, the return volume as well as the quality of the returns. The proposed framework also explicitly represents the difference in customer valuations of the new and the remanufactured products. The arising stochastic mixed-integer quadratic program is not amenable to solution via commercial software. Therefore, we develop a solution procedure by integrating sample average approximation with the integer L-shaped method. In order to gather solid managerial insights, we present a case study based on BSH, a leading producer of home appliances headquartered in Germany. Our analysis reveals that, while the reverse network configuration is rather robust, the extent of the firm’s involvement in remanufacturing is quite sensitive to the costs associated with each product recovery option as well as the relative valuation of the remanufactured products by the customers. In the context of the BSH case, we find that among the sources of uncertainty, the market size has the most profound effect on the overall profitability, and it is desirable to build sufficient expansion flexibility in the forward network configuration.

The circular economy presents a practical solution to the earth’s resource limitations. To succeed, it is imperative for consumers to engage in circular economy practices. Are consumers buying in to these practices, however? This study... more

The circular economy presents a practical solution to the earth’s resource limitations. To succeed, it is imperative for consumers to engage in circular economy practices. Are consumers buying in to these practices, however? This study examines consumer acceptance of three CE practices in East and Southeast Asia: using shared platforms, buying recycled goods, and purchasing remanufactured products. Focusing on electronic gadgets, the exploratory study of 584 Asian consumers yielded four findings: (1) Asia generates a large amount of e-waste, but the level of awareness of CE facilities and programs is limited; (2) although consumers are willing to try sharing platforms, they are concerned about being exploited or cheated; (3) consumer acceptance of recycled and remanufactured products in Asia is low because of their concern of reliability and quality; and (4) consumers are still willing to buy these products in the future because of their environmental- and cost-consciousness. We recommend that policy makers and companies work on various ways to promote circular economy practices, such as targeting certain demographic groups, managing consumers' trust, allaying their concerns, improving offerings, and appealing to innovation-minded consumers.

Waste generation grows faster than the population due to increased consumption (Baker et al. 2004). Simultaneously, the availability of resources and the ability of ecosystems to provide them are decreasing (Holmberg 1998). Keeping... more

Waste generation grows faster than the population due to increased consumption (Baker et al. 2004). Simultaneously, the availability of resources and the ability of ecosystems to provide them are decreasing (Holmberg 1998). Keeping materials in continuous loops gains importance (McDonough & Braungart 2002; El-Haggar 2007; Foundation 2012), not only as sustainable waste management (WM), but as a way to provide the materials future generations will require. Aim and Method In order to explore the existing relation between WM and Design, an interview study was carried out in 2011, targeting designers who have worked with waste (11) and WM professionals (14). The

Purpose – Remanufacturing industry includes intriguing applications of marketing where it deals with both input (core acquisition) and output (remarketing) of the business process. This paper aims at providing a framework of roles which... more

Purpose – Remanufacturing industry includes intriguing applications of marketing where it deals with both input (core acquisition) and output (remarketing) of the business process. This paper aims at providing a framework of roles which marketing can play in remanufacturing. The role of marketing in supply process has been studied from the relationship marketing perspective. However, this paper intend to expand the role of marketing in supply process where it can directly influence the level of supply. This paper also aims at proposing core acquisition and remarketing strategies for remanufacturers according to their types. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper is based on literature review and case studies conducted by early scholars on remanufacturing. Research limitations/implications – The framework is mostly based on conducted case studies and given examples in previous research, therefore the theory should be supported by further empirical research for its generalizability. Practical implications –This study sheds light on marketing practice adopted by remanufacturers. It will give insights to practitioners interested in remanufacturing. Originality/value –This paper is one of the first holistic conceptualization of marketing practice in remanufacturing industry. Especially the unique role of marketing during the supply process of remanufacturing will contribute to the marketing theory.

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to discuss how organisational complexities influence the design of circular business models, which have recently been introduced as a new panacea for aligning the interests of business with the needs of... more

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to discuss how organisational complexities influence the design of circular business models, which have recently been introduced as a new panacea for aligning the interests of business with the needs of the environment. Design/methodology/approach: The Service Shirt, a new garment concept, is used as an illustrative case example for demonstrating some of the organisational complexities of making circular business models operable. The shirt was developed through a series of design workshops for the fashion brand Fashion Alpha. Findings: The analysis highlights multiple challenges emerging when a fashion product with a significantly extended lifecycle passes through different users, organisations, and business models. It is concluded that it is difficult to talk about a circular business model (singular) as circular economy solutions depend on the contributions of multiple stakeholders with business models. Practical implications: The findings illustrate how fashion companies interested in the circular economy fundamentally have to rethink conventional approaches to value, organisational boundaries, and temporality. Originality/value: Drawing on a case example from the fashion industry, the paper demonstrates the organisational complexities linked to the design of new business models based on circular economy thinking, as these require the coordination of actions between autonomous actors driven by different logics regarding value creation, value delivery, and value capture.

Rapid development and innovation in science and technology have resulted in shorter product life-cycle, especially in technology-based commodities like mobile phones and computers. Mounting wastes from such products have received... more

Rapid development and innovation in science and technology have resulted in shorter product life-cycle, especially in technology-based commodities like mobile phones and computers. Mounting wastes from such products have received increasing attentions from government, socie-ty, as well as industries for sustainability concerns. Numerous studies on remanufacturing have been found on durable goods, but only a few focusing on short life-cycle products. Even though several studies implied that successful remanufacturing requires products to have long useful life and stable technology, there are other findings that support remanufacturing of short life-cycle products. It is our intention to investigate remanufacturing of short life-cycle product. A literature review is conducted to study the pros and cons, life-cycle implication, and remanufacturing as-pects of short life-cycle products. Then we propose a framework that can be used to decide and plan the remanufacturing system. Furthermore, we conduct a survey to obtain descriptive analysis about the market potential for remanufactured short life-cycle products. The factors investigated are existence of demand, customer’s willingness to pay (WTP), and existence of green segment. The survey results show that low-end customers are the potential market segment for short life-cycle remanufactured product, because they have the highest preference toward remanufac-turing and 95% of them chose remanufactured product when the price is less than 40% of new product. It is also shown that green segment exists since 42%, 65%, and 47% of customers from high-end, low-end, and student sub-group respectively consider buying remanufactured products over new ones driven by their concern for the environment..

An efficient protocol of shoot organogenesis and plant regeneration from internode derived callus has been developed for Capsicum annuum. Optimal callus was developed from internodal segments on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium... more

An efficient protocol of shoot organogenesis and plant regeneration from internode derived callus has been developed for Capsicum annuum. Optimal callus was developed from internodal segments on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 10 μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and 2.0 μM 6-benzyladenine (BA). Shoot differentiation was achieved from the surface of callus when transferred on shoot induction medium containing BA and thidiazuron (TDZ) alone or in combination. The highest number of de novo adventitious shoots (25.4 ± 1.42) and shoot length (4.6 ± 0.37 cm) was recorded on MS medium supplemented with 5.0 μM BA and 2.5 μM TDZ. The individual elongated shoots were rooted well on MS medium supplemented with 1.0 μM Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). The in vitro raised plantlets with properly developed shoot and roots were acclimatized successfully and grew well in the greenhouse. All the regenerated plants appeared normal with respect to morphology and growth characteristics with 85% survival rate.

This paper explores the present and future magnitude of global waste of electrical and electronic equipment flows, and investigates desirable changes in these flows from a sustainable development point of view. Quantitative estimates of... more

This paper explores the present and future magnitude of global waste of electrical and electronic equipment flows, and investigates desirable changes in these flows from a sustainable development point of view. Quantitative estimates of present and future e-waste flows between global regions, generating, and processing waste are presented and their driving forces are analyzed. Global e-waste production by households exceeded an annual amount of 20 million tons in 2005. Domestic e-waste generation in China has already climbed dramatically, now equalling the amount generated in Japan. China is second in the world after the USA in landfilling and incineration of e-waste residues. Absolute volumes of recycled e-waste are largest in the EU, followed by Japan. After a period characterized by national disposal practices, a period of global low-level recovery practices has emerged. The paper analyzes exogenous factors, including legislating promoting extended producer responsibility, which are favoring as a next step regionalizing of (reverse) supply chains. Examples on a business level are discussed and critical success factors for applying regional high-level recovery are identified. The analysis shows that in the coming decades, two options will compete on a global scale: (1) a further expansion of the present low-level recovery system of e-waste recycling, and (2) a regional approach with higher level recovery applications. The authors argue that putting businesses, more specifically, the original equipment manufacturers, instead of legislators in the driver seat, will strengthen the opportunities for high-level recovery.

Circular Economy is a means to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns. However, it is still at an embryonic stage of implementation in manufacturing companies. Given its potential, the household appliance industry is a... more

Circular Economy is a means to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns. However, it is still at an embryonic stage of implementation in manufacturing companies. Given its potential, the household appliance industry is a promising arena for the adoption of Circular Economy. Thus, this study aims to investigate and systematize how Circular Economy has been adopted in the household appliance industry, through a multiple case study research. Twenty cases are analyzed following a Research Framework, to map: (i) the Circular Economy 4R strategies of reduce, reuse, remanufacture and recycle; (ii) the Circular Economy levers, i.e., whether circular product design practices, servitized business models or supply chain management actions are undertaken; (iii) the role of digital 4.0 technologies as enablers; (iv) the benefits achieved. The analysis showed that servitized business models and supply chain management actions are widely used levers, while little attention is devoted to circular product design practices. Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data and Cloud emerged as powerful enablers of servitized business models. Two main patterns of Circular Economy adoption in the household appliance industry emerged from cases: incremental and radical adoption patterns. Incremental adoption patterns are based on design strategies focused on reduce and recycle, mainly led by manufacturers. Radical adoption patterns are instead focused on disruptive practices based on reuse, remanufacture, servitization and sharing, where digital 4.0 technologies serve as enablers. Overall, this exploratory research lays the foundation for a stronger and more systemic understanding of the adoption of Circular Economy in the household appliance industry.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET #1) and polyolefin plastics such polyethylene (HDPE #2, LDPE #4) and polypropylene (PP #5) are major products from the chemical industry, and they comprise a significant fraction of municipal solid waste... more

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET #1) and polyolefin plastics such polyethylene (HDPE #2, LDPE #4) and polypropylene (PP #5) are major products from the chemical industry, and they comprise a significant fraction of municipal solid waste that ends up in landfills or as litter and marine debris. The reuse of these polymeric materials can be optimized through systems analysis with a view on materials flow analysis, techno-economics, environmental life cycle assessment, and consequential societal impacts. This contribution will present the overall research approach for this exploratory project within the DOE- and industry-funded REMADE Institute and end with a proposed systems analysis framework.

Although a positive relationship is expected between consumers’ awareness of green benefits in a green product and their purchase intention, several studies have demonstrated otherwise. Against this back-drop, this article investigates... more

Although a positive relationship is expected between consumers’ awareness of green benefits in a green product and their purchase intention, several studies have demonstrated otherwise. Against this back-drop, this article investigates how three personal consumption values—namely, environmental, status, and value-for-money consciousness—moderate the relationship between consumers’ awareness of a product’s green benefits and their purchase intention. From a survey of 956 consumers across the United Kingdom and China, we find a positive and significant relationship between consumers’ awareness of green benefits and their purchase intention. However, these consumption values significantly moderate this relationship. In the United Kingdom, environmental consciousness strengthens the relationship. On the other hand, status consciousness and value-for-money consciousness strengthen the relationship in China. The findings make original contributions to the literature by highlighting how to integrate individual consumption values in differing national cultures to refine green marketing theories.

Remanufacturing, a key circular economy practice, is a new way of sustainable thinking without depleting additional economic resources. Because remanufactured goods come from direct reuse of returned or already used goods, the... more

Remanufacturing, a key circular economy practice, is a new way of sustainable thinking without depleting additional economic resources. Because remanufactured goods come from direct reuse of returned or already used goods, the environmental impacts of production are reduced and product longevity is extended; therefore, these products can be considered “green products.” Are they appealing to the green consumers, however? Our questionnaire survey of more than 1,168 consumers from eight Asian countries shows that the “real” green market for remanufactured products is not yet ready. Reactions to green attributes of remanufactured products are disproportionate from Asian consumers with different consumption values. Status- and value-conscious consumers may buy into remanufactured products if they perceive them as greener. However, the findings suggest that environmentally conscious consumers do not show a high appreciation for the green concept of remanufactured products in Asia. The results highlight important takeaways for remanufacturers in the circular economy and those selling remanufactured products: to identify and define the right selling point of “greenness” to align with Asian consumers' inherent values.

Earth’s natural resources are finite. To be environmentally sustainable, it may not only be necessary to use them ‘efficiently’ but also ‘effectively’. While Gharfalkar et al. (2015) consider ‘repair’, ‘recondition’, ‘refurbish’ and... more

Earth’s natural resources are finite. To be environmentally sustainable, it may not only be necessary to use them ‘efficiently’ but also ‘effectively’. While Gharfalkar et al. (2015) consider ‘repair’, ‘recondition’, ‘refurbish’ and ‘remanufacture’ to be ‘reuse’ options, not all researchers agree. Also, there is lack of clarity between the different options that are likely to be challenging for both; the policy makers who formulate policies aimed to encourage ‘reuse’ of ‘waste’ products and for decision makers to initiate appropriate action for recovering ‘reusable resources’ from ‘waste streams’. This dichotomy could result into more ‘waste’ to landfill. A systematic review of literature is conducted to understand whether inconsistencies and/or lack of clarity exist between the definitions or descriptions of identified ‘reuse’ options. The review confirms existence of inconsistencies such as the omission of one or more of identified options from ‘reuse’ (23%) and lack of clarity between options (59%). This paper proposes a ‘hierarchy of reuse options’ that plots the relative positions of identified ‘reuse’ options vis-à-vis five variables, namely work content, energy requirement, cost, performance and warranty. Recommendations are made on how to incentivize original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to ‘remanufacture’. Finally, an alternative ‘Type II Resource Effective Close-loop Model’ is suggested and a conceptual ‘Type II/2 Model of Resource Flows’ that is restricted to the use of environmentally benign and renewable resources is introduced. These suggestions are likely to help decision makers to prioritise between ‘reuse’ options, drive resource effectiveness and also environmental sustainability. Further research is required to propose alternative definitions.

In this study we develop a model that optimizes the price for new and remanufactured short life-cycle products where demands are time-dependent and price sensitive. While there has been very few pub-lished works that attempt to model... more

In this study we develop a model that optimizes the price for new and remanufactured short life-cycle products where demands are time-dependent and price sensitive. While there has been very few pub-lished works that attempt to model remanufacturing decisions for products with short life cycle, we
believe that there are many situations where remanufacturing short life cycle products is rewarding eco-nomically as well as environmentally. The system that we model consists of a retailer, a manufacturer, and a collector of used product from the end customers. Two different scenarios are evaluated for the system. The first is the independent situation where each party attempts to maximize his/her own total profit and
the second is the joint profit model where we optimize the combined total profit for all three members of the supply chain. Manufacturer acts as the Stackelberg leader in the independently optimized scenario, while in the other the intermediate prices are determined by coordinated pricing policy. The results suggest that (i) reducing the price of new products during the decline phase does not give better profit for the whole system, (ii) the total profit obtained from optimizing each player is lower than the total profit
of the integrated model, and (iii) speed of change in demand influences the robustness of the prices as
well as the total profit gained.

Scarce resources, strict take-back legislations, decreasing life cycle of products and increasing competition are compelled original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to collect and reuse their returned products. Remanufacturing is a... more

Scarce resources, strict take-back legislations, decreasing life cycle of products and increasing competition are compelled original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to collect and reuse their returned products. Remanufacturing is a well-known and widely used environment-friendly manufacturing to evaluate product returns. Moreover, with remanufacturing, OEMs offer environment-friendly products to environmentally concerned consumers, also known as green consumer. This study aims to develop a prediction model to determine purchase behavior of consumer for remanufactured products. We investigate the data with a survey of closed-end questions conducted among 400 residents of Ankara, Turkey. We consider several factors that influence consumers' preferences in purchasing process of remanufactured products. The suggested model predicts consumer behavior of remanufactured products with logistic regression analysis. The results show that several factors have effects on purchase behavior of consumer for remanufactured products such as low prices, company reliability and product promotion changes consumer behavior from no purchasing to purchasing remanufactured products.

Environmental and economic evidence is increasingly supporting the need for better analytical tools for evaluating the recovery of consumer products. In response, we present a novel mathematical model for determining what we call the... more

Environmental and economic evidence is increasingly supporting the need for better analytical tools for evaluating the recovery of consumer products. In response, we present a novel mathematical model for determining what we call the Optimal Recovery Plan (ORP) for any given product. The ORP is based on an evaluation and optimization of the economics of remanufacturing consumer products versus demanufacturing in the context of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation, a driving force behind the adoption remanufacturing initiatives by firms. We provide an illustrative application of the model and then discuss its implications for scholars and practitioners concerned with sustainable business development.

The motivation behind this paper is to identify a framework or establish a strategy for industries, majorly the consumer durables for recycling and reusing wasted material or e-waste. The paper also uncovers the need of establishing a... more

The motivation behind this paper is to identify a framework or establish a strategy for industries, majorly the consumer durables for recycling and reusing wasted material or e-waste. The paper also uncovers the need of establishing a circular economy model from the already existing linear model, identified as depleting resources and increasing hazards of improper treatment of waste from end products such as electronic gadgets - laptops, cell phones, smart phones, chips, wires or electronic durables - washing machine, oven, microwave etc. The level of e-waste generation, specifically in India has led for the need of transformation in processes of industries sail through the expected extinction of raw material. Effect of COVID-19 on industries and implication of CE model with industry 4.0, challenges and opportunities that its implementation may bring along have also been addressed in this paper. The aim of this paper, is to suggest solutions and a future scope with servitised business models for implementing Circular Economy using Industry 4.0 for Consumer Durable products and other industries as well

Remanufacturing is a viable option to extend the useful life of an end-of-use product or its parts, ensuring sustainable competitive advantages under the current global economic climate. Challenges typical to remanufacturing still... more

Remanufacturing is a viable option to extend the useful life of an end-of-use product or its parts, ensuring sustainable competitive advantages under the current global economic climate. Challenges typical to remanufacturing still persist, despite its many benefits. According to the European Remanufacturing Network, a key challenge is the lack of accurate, timely and consistent product knowledge as highlighted in a 2015 survey of 188 European remanufacturers. With more data being produced by electric and hybrid vehicles, this adds to the information complexity challenge already experienced in remanufacturing. Therefore, it is difficult to implement real-time and accurate remanufacturing for the shop floor; there are no papers that focus on this within an electric and hybrid vehicle environment. To address this problem, this paper attempts to: (1) identify the required parameters/variables needed for fuel cell remanufacturing by means of interviews; (2) rank the variables by Pareto analysis; (3) develop a casual loop diagram for the identified parameters/variables to visualise their impact on remanufacturing; and (4) model a simple stock and flow diagram to simulate and understand data and information-driven schemes in remanufacturing.

In the recent decades, closed-loop supply chain has been studied extensively due to the increased concern on sustainable development. It integrates forward and reverse flows where the collaborative supply chain takes place. Knowledge... more

In the recent decades, closed-loop supply chain has been studied extensively due to the increased concern on sustainable development. It integrates forward and reverse flows where the collaborative supply chain takes place. Knowledge management is one important part of an organization that can improve the effectiveness of the processes within the organization. Knowledge sharing is significant in a collaborative supply chain since it affects the organizational performance and competitive advantage. The complexity in closed-loop supply chain can be managed better by encouraging knowledge sharing among the supply chain members. This paper presents a conceptual framework to implement knowledge sharing in a closed-loop supply chain management, for improving the CLSC members' performance. The success factors have been identified, and a framework has been presented, it consists of knowledge flows, management aspect and socio-technical aspect.

Rebuilt industry, also known as remanufacturing, is the practice of taking end-of-life goods and reengineering them back to as new or better condition. In Malaysia, one of significant remanufacturing activities is the automotive... more

Rebuilt industry, also known as remanufacturing, is the practice of taking end-of-life goods and reengineering them back to as new or better condition. In Malaysia, one of significant remanufacturing activities is the automotive remanufacturing or rebuilt commercial vehicle industry. The industry has begun since 1970s, the time when the construction sector was booming. Despite of its importance in bringing to a sustainable development of a country, no studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of the practice in Malaysia. However, the recent problematic issue surrounding the industry has led to the call for this research. The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of the institutional framework of the commercial vehicle rebuilt industry in Malaysia. The results obtained were based on seventeen interviews. All interviews were transcribed and the data were analysed using the content analysis method. The results demonstrated that with the present practice of
the institutional framework allows some loopholes within the industry. These loopholes have led to the production of false document and thus excessive number of rebuilt commercial vehicles registered, far greater than the quota given by the Ministry. This issue arose due to unavailability of effective
communication mechanisms among the relevant government authorities. This study provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the present governance in dealing with the rebuilt commercial
vehicle industry in Malaysia. It is important as it opens up various issues that have been lingering
within the implementation of the industry.

Disposal of the End-of-Life (EOL) product is a big issue in industries today and many product recovery systems are trying to enhance the product sustainability to promote green growth. Remanufacturing is the key to better profits and... more

Disposal of the End-of-Life (EOL) product is a big issue in industries today and many product recovery systems are trying to enhance the product sustainability to promote green growth. Remanufacturing is the key to better profits and clean green development leading towards a low-carbon economy. Many Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) hesitate to launch a remanufactured product due to fear of cannibalization of new product. In this study, price lists of OEMs and remanufacturers for new and remanufactured products were analyzed to check the profitability issue. Coefficient of correlation between prices of OEMs and remanufactured cartridges of top brand companies like HP, Lexmark and Brother is found to be very strong. It was also tested to find the nearby price saving due to remanufactured products. This study will be useful to the OEMs as well as third party remanufactures for re-evaluating and enhancing the overall profitability and sale of their products.

Product design for remanufacturing is a combination of designing processes whereby an item is designed to facilitate remanufacture. Design for remanufacturing is guided by an assessment of product or component value over time. This... more

Product design for remanufacturing is a combination of
designing processes whereby an item is designed to facilitate
remanufacture. Design for remanufacturing is guided by an
assessment of product or component value over time. This value
may vary depending on the market and market demand and
supply, legislation and technological improvements. Obviously
the goal of design for remanufacturing is to improve
manufacturability. Through this project we aim to study the
various key parameters which needs to be considered for
optimum designing of a new product or an existing product from
the view of remanufacturing. Technology and Economic model
will are developed using these key parameters for the selective
components and they are employed for coordination and testing
via simulation, finally with the solution of the updated
parameters design of updating can be accomplished.

Product design for remanufacturing is a combination of designing processes whereby an item is designed to facilitate remanufacture. Design for remanufacturing is guided by an assessment of product or component value over time. This value... more

Product design for remanufacturing is a combination of designing processes whereby an item is designed to facilitate remanufacture. Design for remanufacturing is guided by an assessment of product or component value over time. This value may vary depending on the market and market demand and supply, legislation and technological improvements. Obviously the goal of design for remanufacturing is to improve manufacturability. Through this paper we aim to study the various key parameters which need to be considered for optimum designing of a new product or an existing product from the view of remanufacturing. Technology and Economic model will are developed using these key parameters for the selective components and they are employed for coordination and testing via simulation, finally with the solution of the updated parameters design of upadation can be accomplished.

There has been a significant increase in volume of new clothing sales over the last ten years; indeed it is the fastest growing waste in household waste stream, raising the potential for a similar increase in volume of textile waste... more

There has been a significant increase in volume of new clothing sales over the last ten years; indeed it is the fastest growing waste in household waste stream, raising the potential for a similar increase in volume of textile waste dispose in landfill sites and the resultant harm to the environment. As volume of throwaway fashion increases and quality of fabric decreases, there is a need for an innovative approach to generating and managing this type of waste. Prior work on managing post-consumer textiles concurs with the Waste Hierarchy, ie, that reusing and remanufacturing fashion items makes the least impact on energy use. A number of fashion designers have developed businesses using this approach but are usually niche market, and the environmental benefit may not be as significant as the mass markets that are currently catered for by the large retailers using the current conventional design processes and supply chains. This paper will present and examine empirical data regardin...

Increasing pressure to improve market competitiveness has pushed companies to consider the reverse supply chain because of economic and environmental benefits. Besides, legislations and directives, consumer awareness and social... more

Increasing pressure to improve market competitiveness has pushed companies to consider the reverse supply chain because of economic and environmental benefits. Besides, legislations and directives, consumer awareness and social responsibilities towards environment are also the drivers for reverse supply chain. The process of reverse supply chains are more complicated since return flows may include several activities such as collection, checking, sorting, disassembly, remanufacturing, disposal and redistribution. Moreover, the quality and the quantity of the used products are uncertain in the reverse channel. The complexity of reverse supply chain has motivated several researchers to use System dynamics (SD) modelling techniques in the search for better strategies and policies for integrating the forward and reverse supply chains by addressing the effects of uncontrollable factors such as uncertainty of returns. The paper aims at not only proposing a methodology that provides an unde...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss how organisational complexities influence the design of circular business models, which have recently been introduced as a new panacea for aligning the interests of business with the needs... more

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss how organisational complexities influence the design of circular business models, which have recently been introduced as a new panacea for aligning the interests of business with the needs of the environment. Design/methodology/approach The Service Shirt, a new garment concept, is used as an illustrative case example for demonstrating some of the organisational complexities of making circular business models operable. The shirt was developed through a series of design workshops for the fashion brand Fashion Alpha. Findings The analysis highlights multiple challenges emerging when a fashion product with a significantly extended lifecycle passes through different users, organisations and business models. It is concluded that it is difficult to talk about a circular business model (singular) as circular economy solutions depend on the contributions of multiple stakeholders with business models. Practical implications The findings illustra...

As data from manufacturing and digital intelligence become a pervasive feature of our economy, it becomes increasingly important to leverage on this data in the creation of new forms of value. Within emerging concepts such as Industry 4.0... more

As data from manufacturing and digital intelligence become a pervasive feature of our economy, it becomes increasingly important to leverage on this data in the creation of new forms of value. Within emerging concepts such as Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and the Internet of Things (IoT), understanding decision-making and stakeholders’ interaction is important in optimising manufacturing and post- manufacturing processes. Of interest is the post-manufacturing phase for the Rechargeable Energy Storage system, (RESS), a battery system embedded in hybrid and electric automobiles. This research develops a decision-making framework for the RESS component, employing remanufacturing as the circular approach for implementation. Findings also highlight useful manufacturing data employed in remanufacturing for the RESS technology. This study concludes by giving recommendations on how decisions made by stakeholders and their interaction can inform manufacturers on design for remanufacturing

This article (visual essay) provides a glimpse of a field trip ventured by design students as part of a larger study of developing a localised version of design education for sustainability, focusing on the wants and needs of non-urban... more

This article (visual essay) provides a glimpse of a field trip ventured by design students as part of a larger study of developing a localised version of design education for sustainability, focusing on the wants and needs of non-urban populations in vast Russian hinterlands. The central goal is to introduce would-be designers to the concepts of locally appropriate technology and sustainable/circular living by real-life examples and, eventually, teach them to recognise the sustainable potential of place-based technologies and practices of their making, using and maintaining. The primary data came from the trip to Pozhva, a village in Permskiy Krai, Russia, that gained popularity among DIY activists and users of off-road vehicles in Russia in the early 2000s because of its unique, community-centred manufacture of lightweight ATVs on low-pressure tires, nicknamed “jeeps”. This article presents the students’ journey in a comic strip portraying a composite character of technologies and their user-designers as experts in local conditions and (subconsciously) agents of circularity. The article closes with a discussion on the expedition’s discoveries and learning outcomes, correlating them with broader implications for design education.