Remanufacturing and product design: designing for the 7th generation

The following is taken directly from the research report. This report investigates Design for Remanufacture in terms of both detailed product design and the business context in which Design for Remanufacture may operate. Key Study Objectives • To understand the link between design and remanufacture • To understand how Design for Remanufacture can lead to increased innovation and Sustainable Development (SD) • To identify proactive strategies to further Design for Remanufactur

Distribution Channel Choice and Divisional Conflict in Remanufacturing Operations

We consider a firm consisting of two divisions, one responsible for designing and manufacturing new products and the other responsible for remanufacturing operations. The firm will sell these new and remanufactured products either directly to the consumer (direct selling) or through an independent retailer (indirect selling). Our study demonstrates that a firm’s organizational structure can affect its marketing decisions. Specifically, a decentralized firm with separate manufacturing and remanufacturing divisions can benefit from indirect selling with higher firm profit, supply chain profit, and total consumer demand than direct selling. Moreover, this structure also induces a remanufacturable product design. In contrast, a centralized firm in which the manufacturing and remanufacturing divisions are consolidated is intuitively better off by choosing direct selling than indirect selling. Furthermore, we show that, surprisingly, when the focal firm sells through an independent retailer, a decentralized internal structure can result in higher supply chain profit than a centralized internal structure. We further investigate the case of dual dedicated channels and conclude that, while direct selling of remanufactured products and indirect selling of new products can better induce a remanufacturable product design and higher supply chain profit, it is not in the best interest of the firm in terms of total sales and firm profit

Competition or Authorization—Manufacturers’ Choice of Remanufacturing Strategies

In the face of the cannibalization of remanufactured products produced by independent remanufacturers (IRs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can produce remanufactured products themselves to compete with independent remanufacturers (IRs), or they can authorize the IRs to cooperate because of their seller reputation. This paper studies the key factors that influence OEMs’ choice of remanufacturing strategies. By establishing three two-stage models and comparing them, the thresholds for OEMs to choose different remanufacturing strategies were obtained. There is also an interesting finding that when the authorization fee is higher than a certain value, even if the remanufactured product poses a competitive threat to the new product, the OEM will help the IR improve their remanufacturing technology to save costs and achieve a win–win situation. With the increase in authorization fees, OEMs’ profits will increase first and then decrease, so it is not always better for OEMs to charge higher authorization fees. Whether it is an authorization or a competitive scenario, the improvement in remanufacturing technology by OEMs can increase the output of remanufactured products, which is conducive to environmental protection

Intention to purchase sustainable craft products: a moderated mediation analysis of the adoption of sustainability in the craft sector

In the modern world, the management of companies has evolved from a model characterized by the extraction, transformation, and generation of waste towards a more sustainable model. This transition affects even more traditional sectors, such as crafts. A key aspect of the transition towards more sustainable models is knowledge of the disposition of consumers with respect to these new artisan products. To date, few works have addressed this research problem, so this paper analyses consumer behaviour towards sustainable craft products empirically. To accomplish this goal, the effect of the image of sustainable craft products as perceived by consumers on their purchase intention is studied. Attitudes towards sustainable crafts, purchase intention, degree of consumer involvement and degree of knowledge concerning sustainability are considered as moderating variables. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of handicraft consumers, and confirmatory factor analysis and an ordinary least squares regression model were used to study the data thus obtained. The results showed that the image of sustainable craft products as perceived by consumers influences their purchase intentions. In addition, this influence is increased when consumer attitudes towards and involvement with sustainable craft products increase. The results of this study can be useful for the sustainable crafts sector with respect to incorporating more sustainable products and designing marketing and communication strategies to help consumers learn about sustainability.European Commission 10100806

Intention to purchase sustainable craft products: a moderated mediation analysis of the adoption of sustainability in the craft sector

In the modern world, the management of companies has evolved from a model characterized by the extraction, transformation, and generation of waste towards a more sustainable model. This transition affects even more traditional sectors, such as crafts. A key aspect of the transition towards more sustainable models is knowledge of the disposition of consumers with respect to these new artisan products. To date, few works have addressed this research problem, so this paper analyses consumer behaviour towards sustainable craft products empirically. To accomplish this goal, the effect of the image of sustainable craft products as perceived by consumers on their purchase intention is studied. Attitudes towards sustainable crafts, purchase intention, degree of consumer involvement and degree of knowledge concerning sustainability are considered as moderating variables. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of handicraft consumers, and confirmatory factor analysis and an ordinary least squares regression model were used to study the data thus obtained. The results showed that the image of sustainable craft products as perceived by consumers influences their purchase intentions. In addition, this influence is increased when consumer attitudes towards and involvement with sustainable craft products increase. The results of this study can be useful for the sustainable crafts sector with respect to incorporating more sustainable products and designing marketing and communication strategies to help consumers learn about sustainability

A systematic review of decision-making in remanufacturing

Potential benefits have made remanufacturing attractive over the last decade. Nevertheless, the complexity and uncertainties associated with the process of managing returned products make remanufacturing challenging. Since this process involves enormous decision-making practices, various methods/techniques have been developed. This review is to specify the current challenges and opportunities for decision-making in remanufacturing. To achieve this, we perform a systematic review over decision-making in remanufacturing by classifying decisions into different managerial levels and areas. Adopting a systematic approach which provides a repeatable, transparent and scientific process, 241 key articles have been identified following a multi-stage review process. Our review indicates that most studies focuses on strategic-level(48%) and tactical-level (34%)with only 5% focusing on operational-level and the rest on two levels(13%). Regarding decision-making methods, most studies propose mathematical models (60%) followed by analytical models (31%). Furthermore, only 36% of the studies address uncertainties in which stochastic approach is mostly applied. A total of 21 knowledge gaps are highlighted to direct future research work