A model to evaluate acquisition price and quantity of used products for remanufacturing

In this paper, an analytical model is proposed to evaluate optimal acquisition price and quantity policy based on the quality of returned used products that are subsequently used for remanufacturing. The model is developed from the perspective of a consolidation center, which facilitates the collection of used products in various collection centers by offering an acquisition price based on the quality of used products, receive all of the collected used products and consolidate them with replacement parts before sending the consignment to the remanufacturer. It is assumed that the consolidation center receives an order from the remanufacturer for a set quantity and an associated price for used products in a quality level. The consolidation center then evaluates optimal acquisition price and quantity policy for used products based on the available information on stochastic return quantity and quality, and the cost of predefined set of replacement parts. The policy so obtained is offered to the collection centers to initiate the collection of used products in their respective area of operation. The impact of the model is studied through a numerical study. The authors believe that the model developed here is the first such pricing model in a reverse logistics setting. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.