Integrated reverse logistics for remanufacturing : a position paper from understudying computers

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Adu-Amankwa, Kwaku and Ijomah, Winifred and Wodehouse, Andrew (2023) Integrated reverse logistics for remanufacturing : a position paper from understudying computers. In: International Conference on Remanufacturing 2023, 2023-06-27 - 2023-06-29, RAI.

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Abstract

Reverse logistics entails activities associated with product returns form a customer to designated warehouse for infeed into the circular economy. Remanufacturing comprises processes performed on an end-of-life product (cores) to restore it to “like new or better” condition from performance and quality perspectives. Remanufacturing is therefore highly dependent on reverse logistics to retrieve cores; yet it encounters reverse logistics’ unpredictable and unstructured nature that generate bottleneck issues for remanufacturing due to unavailable or low-quality cores. Management of reverse logistics strategies for remanufacturing waste electrical and electronic equipment have risen considerably because it has been identified as a source of competitive advantage for companies, route to legislative compliance, contributor to customer satisfaction, and facilitator of societal acceptance for a circular economy. Furthermore, legislative directives like Directive 2002/96/EC on electrical and electronic equipment compel recovery and disposal responsibility of waste electrical and electronic equipment on their manufacturers. This paper’s goal is to determine what would constitute best practice reverse logistics network architecture and strategy in a remanufacturing context. The methodology used began with a literature review into reverse logistics, remanufacturing, and cases studies on reverse logistics strategy; then a critical analysis was conducted to determine key facilitators within the electrical, electronic equipment industry. This paper recommends capitalizing on innovating existing network architectures in best practices reverse logistics strategies for remanufacturing. It demonstrates that a coherent systems approach is critical to value-retention in the reverse logistics for remanufacturing process by initiating very early and tactful end-of-life product inspection along the key stakeholder paths. The outcome of the research was therefore an analysis of existing reverse logistics network architectures, technology, and stakeholders that stimulate further debates on innovatively harnessing existing capabilities that can strategically integrate into potential integrated-operating models that facilitate value-retention for remanufacturing processes within the circular economy.

ORCID iDs

Adu-Amankwa, Kwaku ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8095-8416, Ijomah, Winifred ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0652-1486 and Wodehouse, Andrew ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9605-3497;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)