On the widget remanufacturing operation

For many materials, recycling technology (material recovery) is broadly available. However, the design of most products does not favor the recovery of added value. Products designed for optimal marketing and ease of manufacturing are not necessarily good candidates for a recovery scheme. This article provides a framework for designing an efficient remanufacturing procedure for a generic durable good at the end of its useful life. Design measures such as recyclability, disassemblability, and reusability are defined and used as the basis of the product recovery routine. A numerical experiment illustrates the framework. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.