Building a holistic understanding of Reverse Logistics for SME Automotive Remanufacturers

Within global economies, there is a growing concern with regards to the excessive production and consumption habits of the manufacturing industry. Due to the scarcity of raw materials, the environment's inability to absorb residues and emissions, and the consumption needs of a growing population, present manufacture and waste patterns are not sustainable. This research is concerned with the development of an emergent product recovery strategy called Remanufacturing, where used/failed/obsolete products are returned to an as good as new condition through the reclamation and recovery of used parts. Through investigations with Remanufacturers in the UK, this research is concerned with how a Reverse supply chain infrastructure can be set up and controlled to ensure that used products can be collected from a customer site, transported to a remanufacturing facility for recovery, and consequently redistributed back onto the market. This paper presents the findings from the first stage of investigations where key operations, activities and processes have been identified, together with the management systems and strategic factors that underpin and control the overall Reverse Logistics proces