Uncertainty Management in Remanufacturing Decisions: A Consideration of Uncertainties in Market Demand, Quantity, and Quality of Returns

Abstract

As market demand for remanufactured products increases and environmental legislation puts further enforcement on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), remanufacturing is becoming an important business. However, profitability of salvaging operations is still a challenge in remanufacturing industry. Several factors influence the cost effectiveness of remanufacturing operations, including uncertainties in the quantity of return flows and market demand as well as variability in the quality of received items. The objective of this paper is to develop a stochastic optimization model based on chanceconstrained programming to deal with these sources of uncertainties in takeback and inventory planning systems. The main purpose of the model is to determine the best upgrade level for a received product with certain quality level with the aim of maximizing profit. An example of personal computer is provided to show the application of the method.