Closed-loop supply chain activities such as remanufacturing, recycling, dismantling for spare parts, and reverse logistics have helped many companies tap into new revenue streams by finding secondary markets for their products, all while reducing their overall carbon footprint. A comprehensive yet concise presentation of closed-loop supply chain processes, Closed-Loop Supply Chains: New Developments to Improve the Sustainability of Business Practices investigates the state of the art in this rapidly growing and environmentally significant field.
Written by academic experts, in language that is accessible to practitioners, this reader-friendly reference examines recent research and case studies of companies running profitable reuse/remanufacture/recycling operations in various industries. It illustrates profitable practices in returned and recovered products, and clearly explains how to: design a reverse logistics network, conduct production planning, implement effective marketing strategies for recovered products, and apply closed-loop supply chain strategies in other industries besides manufacturing.
From product development to materials to assembly and profitability, this authoritative resource illustrates the impact of these processes across all aspects of the supply chain. It provides a business perspective of how to properly implement these processes in your company to achieve profitable and sustainable operations in a more environmentally friendly manner. It also:
- Investigates strategic decisions companies face in regard to the secondary market for their products, including opportunity costs
- Examines tactical issues firms will face once the decision to remanufacture has been made, including how to market remanufactured products
- Summarizes the key characteristics and practices in a variety of industries where remanufacturing has been successful
- Explains how to conceptualize and manage changes due to switching to a closed-loop supply chain
- Demonstrates how to handle changing legislation
Designed for ease of reference, each chapter covers a specific topic--in a completely self-contained manner--allowing readers to quickly and easily reference the chapters of particular relevance to their industry and situation.
Industry Reviews
If you have not heard the term Closed-Loop Supply Chains before, chances are that you soon will. As the editors point out, the traditional business model of a manufacturer that involves a take, make, waste approach will soon come to an end, given the increasingly limited availability and higher cost for raw materials. For manufacturers to be successful in the future, they will need to close the loop on their manufacturing process, using fewer and fewer of the earth's natural resources to make their products. This process involves reclaiming and reintroducing materials back into the production cycle at the end of their first product life. Not only is this the right thing to do for our environment, customers are increasingly driving this transformation by asking companies to consider the environmental impact of their manufacturing process and by demanding more transparency around a product's full life cycle. The authors have done a great job in this book of explaining the key insights from the academic literature on this critically important topic. From the strategic decisions made at the executive suite down to the tactical decisions of the production floor, this book offers much insight for any manager interested in adopting a more sustainable business model. --- John R. Wells, President and CEO, Interface Americas As companies are trying to strike a balance between sustainability and profitability, and as researchers are exploring different reverse logistics and re-manufacturing issues, Ferguson and Souza lay out a clear path for readers to explore strategic, cross-functional, intra/inter-organizational, and tactical issues arising from remanufacturing. Not only does this book provide practical insights through different case studies, it highlights some open research questions for further examination. Each chapter is written in a concise manner without technical jargons by expert(s) in this important field. This book is perfect for anyone who is interested to learn about current practice and research about remanufacturing -- a timely and important topic in the years to come. --- Christopher S. Tang, Edward W. Carter Professor of Business Administration, UCLA Anderson School. Despite today's unpredictable economy, Sustainability remains a topic of strong interest to the business community. In particular, the role of closed loop supply chains and remanufacturing as practical contributors to sustainable industrial practices are attracting global attention. However, in-depth academic research into these subjects as vigorous contributors to Sustainability has been slow to materialize--until now. I am pleased to report that Closed Loop Supply Chains: New Developments to Improve the Sustainability of Business Practices is an important new addition to the short list of quality publications in this area. Besides offering important coverage of the structure and economics of the current reman industry, the contributors present surprising insights into the business, such as the effect of eBay on the purchase of refurbished/remanufactured goods and why products with "classic" or "timeless" designs have greater potential for longevity through multiple remanufacturing cycles. Useful, readable and highly recommended --- Dr. Nabil Nasr, Assistant Provost, Director of CIMS & Golisano Sustainability Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology
