The Analysis and Impact of Remanufacturing Industry Practices

Remanufacturing is a process of bringing used products to "like-new" functional state with warranty to match. Remanufacturing industry is rapidly emerging as an important form of waste prevention and environmentally conscious manufacturing. Products are remanufactured through a series of industrial processes including disassembly, cleaning, inspection, reconditioning, reassembly and testing. The objective of this paper is to review the literature available and examine the terminology surrounding remanufacture, and establish definitions for the various processes such as recycling, refurbishing and reconditioning that are used synonymously. Secondly, via a review of industrial practice, the key business drivers faced by the remanufacturing industry are presented.