Promising Areas for Future Research on Reverse Logistics: an exploratory study

During the early nineties, the Council of Logistics Management started publishing studies where Reverse Logistics was recognized as being relevant both for business and society (Stock, 1992). Other studies followed stressing the opportunities on reuse and recycling (Kopicki et al., 1993), discussing marketing aspects (Kostecki, 1998) and reported on the U.S. experience (Rogers and Tibben-Lembke, 1999). In Europe, an inter-university EU sponsored project called RevLog had served as one of the motors for European Research on Reverse Logistics. For the last 5 years, researchers associated with RevLog have co-authored more than 100 papers on the subject (see Dekker et al., 2003). Very recently, the RevLog group organized a meeting to identify ?Promising Areas for Future Research on Reverse Logistics.? In this paper we report the outcome of such meeting

A Framework for Reverse Logistics

Reverse Logistics has been stretching out worldwide, involving all the layers of supply chains in various industry sectors. While some actors in the chain have been forced to take products back, others have pro-actively done so, attracted by the value in used products One way or the other, Reverse Logistics has become a key competence in modern supply chains. In this paper, we present a content analysis of reverse logistics issues. To do so, we propose a content framework focusing on the following questions with respect to reverse logistics: why? what? how?; and, who?, i.e. driving forces and return reasons, what type of products are streaming back, how are they being recovered, and who is executing and managing the various operations. These four basic characteristics are interrelated and their combination determines to a large extent the type of issues arising from the resulting reverse logistics system

Reverse logistics - a framework

In this paper we define and compare Reverse Logistics definitions. We start by giving an understanding framework of Reverse Logistics: the why-what-how. By this means, we put in context the driving forces for Reverse Logistics, a typology of return reasons, a classification of products, processes and actors. In addition we provide a decision framework for Reverse Logistics and we present it according to long, medium and short term decisions, i.e. strategic-tactic-operational decisions

Product Return Handling

In this article we focus on product return handling and warehousing issues. In some businesses return rates can be well over 20% and returns can be especially costly when not handled properly. In spite of this, many managers have handled returns extemporarily. The fact that quantitative methods barely exist to support return handling decisions adds to this. In this article we bridge those issues by 1) going over the key decisions related with return handling; 2) identifying quantitative models to support those decisions. Furthermore, we provide insights on directions for future research

Managing Reverse Logistics or Reversing Logistics Management?

In the past, supply chains were busy fine-tuning the logistics from raw material to the end customer. Today an increasing flow of products is going back in the chain. Thus, companies have to manage reverse logistics as well.This thesis contributes to a better understanding of reverse logistics. The thesis brings insights on reverse logistics decision-making and it lays down theoretical principles for reverse logistics as a research field.In particular it puts together a framework for reverse logistics identifying the elementary dimensions, providing typologies, and structuring their interrelations.With respect to aiding decision-making, this thesis comprises return handling and inventory management. On the first, the focus is on critical factors for the combination vs. separation of reverse and forward flows during material handling. On the second, the main research issue is the value of information. One of the findings is that more informed methods do not necessarily lead to the best performance.Furthermore, this thesis proposes a reflection on the future development of the field. Through a Delphi study with an international panel of academics working on the area, recommendations are made concerning both research and pedagogy. This thesis also poses the following question: is it a matter of simply managing reverse logistics or of reversing logistics management?The message is: logistics cannot go forward without reverse thinking!Twintig jaar geleden zorgden een supply chain voor deijverige logistieke fine-tuning van de goederenstromen vangrondstof tot de uiteindelijke klant. Vandaag de dag is dat geengarantie meer voor succes, aangezien een groeiende stroomproducten terug vloeit in de keten. Terwijl retourlogistiek zichwereldwijd uitbreidt in alle lagen van de keten, worden sommigeactoren gedwongen om producten terug te nemen. Anderen doen ditmeer pro-actief, aangetrokken door de waarde die geretourneerdeproducten vertegenwoordigen. In ieder geval is het goed managenvan retourlogistiek een noodzakelijke bekwaamheid in modernesupply chains.Dit proefschrift draagt bij aan een beter begrip vanretourlogistiek. Naast het verschaffen van inzicht in retourlogistieke beslissingen, wordt ook het theoretische fundament gelegd voor de ontwikkeling van retourlogistiek als onderzoeksgebied

Reverse logistics

This paper gives an overview of scientific literature that describes and discusses cases of reverse logistics activities in practice. Over sixty case studies are considered. Based on these studies we are able to indicate critical factors for the practice of reverse logistics. In addition we compare practice with theoretical models and point out research opportunities in the field

Inventory control with product returns: the impact of (mis)information

Product returns are often characterized by a dual uncertainty on time and quantity. In the literature on inventory management with product returns, best forecasts have been associated with methods that use the most informationregarding product return history. In practice however, data is often scarce and unreliable. In this paper we investigate the impact of (mis)information on inventory performance. An exact analysis shows that in case of misestimation the most informed method does not necessarily lead to best performance. Further we provide an extensive simulation study to investigate the impact of misinformation w.r.t. inventory costs.This has relevant implications regarding the investments to make on product return information systems

Inventory Management with product returns: the value of information

This paper evaluates the impact of misinformation for inventory systems with product returns. If one could exactly know how much is going to be returned and when, one would certainly benefit from incorporating this perfect information a priori in the management of production, inventory, and distribution. In practice, one has to attempt to forecast the timing and the amount of product returns, by hypothesizing about the return flow properties. To do so, historic data on demand and returns can be used. The available literature on information and inventory management with product returns commonly 1) assumes known return probabilities; or 2) considers specific cases where the most informed method does not necessarily lead to the best performance, investigating the impact on inventory related costs

Extended Producer Responsibility in the Aviation Sector

In this paper we investigate recent initiatives with respect to extended producer responsibility in the aviation sector. We compare those with the existing practices in the automobile sector and the emerging regulations in the shipping sector. We describe the challenges and the lessons to be learned from the evolution and state of extended producer responsibility in these two industries

Logistics Information and Knowledge Management Issues in Humanitarian Aid Organizations

In this paper, we assess the need for logistics information and knowledge management in humanitarian aid organizations. To do so, we combine literature sources with an extensive case study that we conducted at Médecins sans Frontières–Holland, which is following a trajectory to improve logistics information management within the organization. We observed that logistics information and logistics knowledge management has not yet matured. We indicate how, by making use of knowledge management strategies such as ‘personalization’ and ‘codification’, this can be improved