Addressing challenges of the remanufacturing process with the application of lean practices

The success of the remanufacturing process, currently rated as one of the most promising product recovery options, is influenced by a number of inherent challenges, somewhat different to those found in conventional manufacturing. The combination of remanufacturing with lean manufacturing principles appears to offer a plausible methodology for increasing process efficiencies but there are only limited reports of investigations into how lean is best implemented within this type of industry. This paper adresses the gap in the literature by presenting multiple case studies to examine how lean methodologies have been applied in practice to the organizational and technical challenges inherent to remanufacturing firms

Exploring the Application of Lean Best Practices in Remanufacturing: Empirical Insights into the Benefits and Barriers

Remanufacturing processes have been widely identified as being important elements of a sustainable economy. However, the commercial viability of this product recovery route is significantly influenced by several operational challenges that are different from those that occur in conventional manufacturing. One of the most widely used systematic process improvement methods in conventional manufacturing is lean production, which seeks to minimize all forms of waste throughout an operation. As the academic study of lean best practices in remanufacturing processes is relatively new, there is a lack of knowledge regarding implementation and impact. As such, this paper presents multiple case studies investigating the application of lean methods in industrial remanufacturing operations. These studies focus on the automotive industry, where both conventional and remanufacturing operations have been the leading adopters of lean thinking and practice. The results of the investigation identify specific lean methods that help manage the inherent complexity of the remanufacturing processes, and consequently improve the overall productivity of the process. Similarly, factors that limit the application of lean practices within remanufacturing are also identified and discussed. Matrices for opportunities and threats are developed to enable the simple adoption of these findings. Overall, the research provides a more holistic understanding of the application of lean within a remanufacturing environment, with benefits for both academia and industry

Lean remanufacturing

"How do I apply lean methods in my remanufacturing organization?" is a question many executives and managers ask themselves. Since the literature on using lean tools in production environments is usually focused on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), its application in commercial remanufacturing is often unreported. This chapter fills a gap in the literature with a brief overview of how remanufacturers can translate manufacturing-oriented lean tools and principles into their processes. The authors also discuss the challenges and opportunities that are peculiar to lean remanufacturing operations

Experimental and numerical investigation to rationalize both near-infrared and mid-infrared spontaneous emission in Pr3+ doped selenide-chalcogenide fiber

This contribution reports on detailed experimental and numerical investigations of both near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) photoluminescence obtained in praseodymium trivalent ion doped chalcogenide-selenide glass fiber. The experimental analysis allows for the identification of the radiative transitions within the praseodymium ion energy level structure to account for the photoluminescent behavior. Numerical analysis is carried out using the rate equations’ approach to calculate the level populations. The numerical analysis provides further insight into the nature of the radiative transitions in the Pr3+ ion doped chalcogenide-selenide glass and allows for the identification of the electronic transitions, which contribute to the observed photoluminescence. The numerical results agree well with the experimental results

Experimental investigation of mid-infrared laser action from DY3+ doped fluorozirconate fiber

Efficient continuous-wave laser operation at 2.982 μm is achieved with a Dy3:fluoride fiber pumped using an inhouse-built 1.1 μm ytterbium (III) fiber laser. The laser output power reached is 554 mW, with a maximum slope efficiency of 18% with respect to the launched pump power. Additionally, the measured spontaneous luminescence within the visible wavelength range, under 1.1 μm pumping, is presented and attributed to excited state absorption (ESA). The influence of the ESA on the laser performance is discussed. The results confirm that high output powers from Dy: fluoride fiber laser pumped at 1.1 μm are possible

Numerical analysis of spontaneous mid-infrared light emission from terbium ion doped multimode chalcogenide fibers

In this contribution we use a numerical model to study the photoluminescence emitted by Tb3+ doped chalcogenide-selenide glass fibers pumped by laser light at approximately 3 µm. The model consists of the set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), which describe the spatial evolution of the pump laser and MIR photoluminescence light within the fiber. The ODEs are coupled with the rate equations that describe the energy level populations. A self-consistent solution of the equation system yields the pump light, MIR photoluminescence and level population distribution within the fiber. Using the developed model we numerically calculate results and discuss the dependence of the output photoluminescence MIR power on the fiber optical loss, fiber length and pump wavelength

Exploring the Application of Lean Best Practices in Remanufacturing: Empirical Insights into the Benefits and Barriers

Remanufacturing processes have been widely identified as being important elements of a sustainable economy. However, the commercial viability of this product recovery route is significantly influenced by several operational challenges that are different from those that occur in conventional manufacturing. One of the most widely used systematic process improvement methods in conventional manufacturing is lean production, which seeks to minimize all forms of waste throughout an operation. As the academic study of lean best practices in remanufacturing processes is relatively new, there is a lack of knowledge regarding implementation and impact. As such, this paper presents multiple case studies investigating the application of lean methods in industrial remanufacturing operations. These studies focus on the automotive industry, where both conventional and remanufacturing operations have been the leading adopters of lean thinking and practice. The results of the investigation identify specific lean methods that help manage the inherent complexity of the remanufacturing processes, and consequently improve the overall productivity of the process. Similarly, factors that limit the application of lean practices within remanufacturing are also identified and discussed. Matrices for opportunities and threats are developed to enable the simple adoption of these findings. Overall, the research provides a more holistic understanding of the application of lean within a remanufacturing environment, with benefits for both academia and industry