Instilling lifecycle costs into modular product development for improved remanufacturing-product service system enterprise

Abstract

The main challenges to remanufacturing could be remediated by product service system (PSS). Consequently, there have been growing interests to improve PSS-remanufacturing enterprise. Meanwhile, PSS and remanufacturing are substantially influenced by the decisions during product development (PD). Modular product design is acknowledged to enhance PSS and remanufacturing processes. However, lifecycle cost at the PD phase is missing in the PSS-remanufacturing integrated framework. This is a significant limitation since PD decisions account for over 70% of product lifecycle costs. Extending prior study, this research addresses this gap using a modular subassembly as a case study. The design, manufacturing, and transportation costs of the module variants that are available for the subassembly were obtained. The costs data obtained, alongside core cleaning and serviceability metrics that were determined in an earlier study are utilized in the optimization model developed. The model is implemented to identify optimal modular product configurations at the PD phase to enhance PSS-remanufacturing product offerings. Also, the study performs multi-objective analyses to evaluate the optimal product configurations considering core cleaning, serviceability, design, manufacturing, and transportation costs. The comparative strength and weaknesses of the product configurations are identified through the analyses. Also, sensitivity analyses are performed to assess the product configurations by adjusting the weights assigned to the objectives. The results of the analyses highlight the relative benefits and shortcomings of the product configurations. The approach developed provides a guide to determine the product configurations that facilitate PSS-remanufacturing integrated product offerings.