The boomerang returns? Accounting for the impact of uncertainties on the dynamics of remanufacturing systems

Recent years have witnessed companies abandon traditional open-loop supply chain structures in favour of closed-loop variants, in a bid to mitigate environmental impacts and exploit economic opportunities. Central to the closed-loop paradigm is remanufacturing: the restoration of used products to useful life. While this operational model has huge potential to extend product life-cycles, the collection and recovery processes diminish the effectiveness of existing control mechanisms for open-loop systems. We systematically review the literature in the field of closed-loop supply chain dynamics, which explores the time-varying interactions of material and information flows in the different elements of remanufacturing supply chains. We supplement this with further reviews of what we call the three ‘pillars’ of such systems, i.e. forecasting, collection, and inventory and production control. This provides us with an interdisciplinary lens to investigate how a ‘boomerang’ effect (i.e. sale, consumption, and return processes) impacts on the behaviour of the closed-loop system and to understand how it can be controlled. To facilitate this, we contrast closed-loop supply chain dynamics research to the well-developed research in each pillar; explore how different disciplines have accommodated the supply, process, demand, and control uncertainties; and provide insights for future research on the dynamics of remanufacturing systems

Don’t Forget Your Supplier When Remanufacturing

A popular assumption in the current literature on remanufacturing is that the whole new product is produced by an integrated manufacturer, which is inconsistent with most industries. In this paper, we model a decentralised closed-loop supply chain consisting of a key component supplier and a non-integrated manufacturer, and demonstrate that the interaction between these players significantly impacts the economic and environmental implications of remanufacturing. In our model, the non-integrated manufacturer can purchase new components from the supplier to produce new products, and remanufacture used components to produce remanufactured products. Thus, the non-integrated manufacturer is not only a buyer but also a rival to the supplier. In a steady state period, we analyse the performances of an integrated manufacturer and the decentralised supply chain. We find that, although the integrated manufacturer always benefits from remanufacturing, the remanufacturing opportunity may constitute a lose-lose situation to the supplier and the non-integrated manufacturer, making their profits be lower than in an identical supply chain without remanufacturing. In addition, the non-integrated manufacturer may be worse off with a lower remanufacturing cost or a larger return rate of used products due to the interaction with the supplier. We further demonstrate that the government-subsidised remanufacturing in the non-integrated (integrated) manufacturer is detrimental (beneficial) to the environment

E-business and circular supply chains : increased business opportunities by IT-based customer oriented return-flow management

This paper deals with the application of IT in circular supply chains (CSCs). We consider information on the installed base critical, and present an illustrative example. Next we discuss a framework of different kinds of value contained in a return, and IT-applications useful in supporting its recovery or neutralisation in case of negative externalities. Also we show which kind of CSC is needed for which kind of return. We illustrate our work by three real life case studies.reverse logistics;supply chain management;electronic commerce;product life cycle

A unified theory of the dynamics of closed-loop supply chains

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordWe investigate the dynamics of a closed-loop supply chain with first-order auto-regressive (AR(1)) demand and return processes. We assume these two processes are cross-correlated. The remanufacturing process is subject to a random triage yield. Remanufactured products are considered as-good-as-new and used to partially satisfy market demand; newly manufactured products make up the remainder. We derive the optimal linear policy in our closed-loop supply chain setting to minimise the manufacturer's inventory costs. We show that the lead-time paradox can emerge in many cases. In particular, the auto- and cross-correlation parameters and variances of the error terms in the demand and the returns, as well as the remanufacturing lead time, all influence the existence of the lead-time paradox. Finally, we propose managerial recommendations for manufacturers.JSPS KAKENH

RFID Demystified: Part 3. Company Case Studies.

In the previous two parts of RFID Demystified we have discussed the technology, possible benefits and areas of application for with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems. In this final part we review Company Case-Studies of those who have decided to apply the technology within their organisation. It will be seen that considerable benefits are being experienced within some organisations, pilot applications are increasing our learning and providing a foundation for the future success of projects in this area

A sustainable way for apparel retailers' development : converting the supply chain into closed-loop. Case study : Min Boutique's jeans-recycle scheme

Confidential until 29 May 20162016-05-2

Optimizing the Disposition and Retrograde of United States Air Force Class VII Equipment from Afghanistan

To meet the President\u27s established OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM drawdown date of 1 December 2014, the United States Air Force, while continuing to conduct and support combat operations, must begin to plan disposition and execute retrograde its Class VII equipment. Calling upon concepts utilized in the management of closed-loop supply chains and optimization, this research proposes a multiple objective linear program to optimize the alignment of Bagram and Kandahar Air Base positioned equipment with in-garrison demand. Closed-loop supply chains provide planning process guidelines necessary for second use value creation and efficient reverse logistical flows. Optimization concepts provide the methodology for model development and output. The proposed multiple objective model provides solutions and equipment disposition instructions that minimize the deviations from the lowest total surface transportation cost and maximum average demand satisfaction values. To ensure compliance with Air Force guidance on equipment prioritization, cost-efficient transportation and maximum amounts of supply, multiple pre-process and model constraints limit the allocation of supply to demand bases. Combining situational specific user input values and constraints provides United States Air Force equipment managers the ability to test multiple courses of action for both real-time and future equipment movements

E-Fulfillment and Multi-Channel Distribution – A Review

This review addresses the specific supply chain management issues of Internet fulfillment in a multi-channel environment. It provides a systematic overview of managerial planning tasks and reviews corresponding quantitative models. In this way, we aim to enhance the understanding of multi-channel e-fulfillment and to identify gaps between relevant managerial issues and academic literature, thereby indicating directions for future research. One of the recurrent patterns in today’s e-commerce operations is the combination of ‘bricks-and-clicks’, the integration of e-fulfillment into a portfolio of multiple alternative distribution channels. From a supply chain management perspective, multi-channel distribution provides opportunities for serving different customer segments, creating synergies, and exploiting economies of scale. However, in order to successfully exploit these opportunities companies need to master novel challenges. In particular, the design of a multi-channel distribution system requires a constant trade-off between process integration and separation across multiple channels. In addition, sales and operations decisions are ever more tightly intertwined as delivery and after-sales services are becoming key components of the product offering.Distribution;E-fulfillment;Literature Review;Online Retailing

OPTIMAL INBOUND/OUTBOUND PRICING MODEL FOR REMANUFACTURING IN A CLOSED-LOOP SUPPLY CHAIN

The paper presents a model for optimizing inbound and outbound pricing for closed-loop supply chains that remanufacture reusable products. Remanufacturers create reusable products from returned used products and sell the products “as new” to manufacturers or consumers. By implementing a return subsidy, remanufacturers can encourage the consumer to return used products. Demand for the as-new components often depends on the selling price and inventory. The available inventory increases as the subsidy increases and as the price decreases. Our model can determine the optimal subsidy and selling price for used and remanufactured products, respectively. Our model uses the Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions to solve its nonlinear problem. Sensitivity analysis reveals how different parameters affect profit under model-optimized conditions