Greening the aluminium supply chain

This paper originated from an industrial case study in the field of the aluminium supply chain. In particular, the most original aspects of the study are linked to the use of an alternative supply method for raw material (aluminium) in manufacturing. This method consists in the possibility of the company receiving the aluminium alloy from its supplier (refiner and remelter of secondary aluminium) in the liquid phase, as an alternative to the traditional supply of solid material. This practice has been possible by the use of special ladles, transportable by truck and moved within factories, thanks to specially equipped overhead bridge cranes. The supply of molten metal represents a substantial benefit for the whole supply chain, because of the energy savings implicit in the method itself (i.e. both energy and time can be saved when melting the metal at the company furnaces). Moreover, the study integrates the concerns about transport pollution, addressing the topics of a green supply chain problem and incorporating the environmental aspects in its analytical description. Therefore, the study proposes a model to evaluate the economic and environmental effects of the industrial practice described. The result of the model is the determination of the supply aluminium mix, i.e. molten and solid alloy, capable of balancing the economic benefits (highest scrap values, lowest total costs, etc.) as well as environmental requirements (least pollution). (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.