Calculating the environmental benefits of remanufacturing

Remanufacturing operations have taken place quietly for many decades on the simple grounds of their economic benefits. However, in recent years, the potential environmental benefits have brought them to the fore. This paper starts by illustrating two main business models behind remanufacturing. Product remanufacturing involves the return and reworking of an entire product for resale, such as is undertaken with manufacturers of large photocopiers. Component remanufacturing involves the return of individual components for resale, such as is undertaken with manufacturers of heavy earth-moving equipment. After an explanation of the various environmental benefits claimed for such activities, the main challenges to these environmental benefits are outlined, namely equating the manufacturing phase benefits with the potentially greater use-phase benefits from newer technologies. Finally, the authors present and illustrate a software tool they have developed in an attempt to address this challenge, when combined with a modular design paradigm.