Manufacturing-remanufacturing System Research Articles

Design of closed-loop manufacturing-remanufacturing system network considering uncertain defect and waste rate: Scenario-based chance-constrained programming

To facilitate sustainability by extending the life-cycle and residual value of production materials, a collaborate scheduling scheme for closed-loop manufacturing system with disturbance uncertainty is studied. Based on the features of the closed-loop manufacturing system under multi-product and multi-period scenarios, a mixed-integer linear optimization model is developed, where manufacturing and remanufacturing units are coordinated by recycling the production materials from work-in-process and final products. Based on this, a novel closed-loop manufacturing-remanufacturing scheduling framework is proposed. Additionally, in response to variations in product quality and processing capabilities, a scenario-based chance-constrained programming is introduced to address potential sources of uncertainty. Subsequently, a sequential optimization method is devised to reduce computational complexity. Finally, an industrial case from the electronic factory is investigated to demonstrate its applicability by implementing the proposed approach with comparison to several other strategies.

Multi-objective sustainable production planning for a hybrid multi-stage manufacturing-remanufacturing system with grade-based classification of recovered and remanufactured products

Multi-objective sustainable production planning for a hybrid multi-stage manufacturing-remanufacturing system with grade-based classification of recovered and remanufactured products

On the development of a smart architecture for a sustainable manufacturing-remanufacturing system: A literature review approach

Remanufacturing is a circular manufacturing (CM) strategy that emerges as a sustainable manufacturing approach to recover the value of end-of-life products. It is a challenging process that requires to overcome intrinsic remanufacturing barriers or challenges, while addressing sustainability concerns, and achieving business model (BM) objectives. The lack of product life cycle information (PLCI) is the main source of these issues, generating significant inefficiencies and negative impacts in CM operations. Smart and industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies have the ability to recover, process, and analyze PLCI. In fact, research is ongoing and suggested approaches are focused on implementing CM strategies using I4.0 to address reverse logistic issues, and to develop new BMs for CM. However, questions remain about on how to structure and configure these technologies as a smart architecture (SA) that simultaneously addresses: 1) remanufacturing barriers and challenges; 2) sustainability; and 3) BMs in the context of CM. The present study addresses this question by conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) to discuss current approaches, identify challenges and opportunities, and to improve understanding of SAs for CM strategies. Based on these SLR findings, this study proposes a novel conceptual design of a SA for a sustainable manufacturing-remanufacturing system towards Industry 5.0. As well, the proposed SA covers novel elements, such as a sustainable stakeholders focus, a modular customizable structure integrated in BM, and a blockchain quality and remanufacturability certificate, that are typically omitted or only partially considered by other studies. Finally, a case study based on an electric motor is used to illustrate the relevance, capabilities, and utilization of the proposed architecture.

Integrated control policies of production, returns’ replenishment and inspection for unreliable hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing systems with a quality constraint

This paper deals with the production planning and control problem within unreliable Hybrid Manufacturing-Remanufacturing Systems (HMRSs) evolving in a stochastic and dynamic environment. The customer demand can then be fulfilled by either manufacturing of new units or remanufacturing of returned ones. However, both used materials and returns may contain a fraction of defective items. The paper investigates how companies could benefit from such integrated control policy to assist their managers in determining production rates, the sequence and the size of replenishment orders as well as their sample size to be inspected. The corresponding problem aims to propose an efficient control policy integrating four central decisions to coordinate remanufacturing, manufacturing, replenishment of returns and their quality control while minimizing the total cost and satisfying a quality constraint requested by customers. A simulation-based optimization approach is used to tackle the problem. It aims to determine the optimal values of control parameters of the proposed policy minimizing the total cost. The results provide relevant insights and bring effective solutions to help decision makers manage simultaneously manufacturing, remanufacturing, replenishment of returns and their quality control activities. A comparative study is also performed showing that our policy, based on sampling inspection of delivered returns, outperforms in terms of costs those most used in the literature where complete (i.e. 100%) or no inspection strategies are used.

Two-sided vertical competition considering product quality in a manufacturing-remanufacturing system

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>We study two-sided vertical competition between a manufacturer and a supplier. The problem is formulated as a dynamic game where the supplier has more pricing power than the manufacturer. Based on the one-sided vertical competition modes with different recyclers as benchmarks, we derive optimal pricing and production decisions of manufacturer and supplier and further study the impacts of product quality on those decisions under the two-sided vertical competition mode. A key finding is that manufacturer/supplier prefers to be a follower rather than the first one to engage in recycling activities. Specifically, when the manufacturer/supplier has engaged in recycling activities, the supplier/manufacturer has an incentive to participate in recycling activities as well. We also find that high-quality remanufactured components/products can benefit manufacturer, supplier and consumers at the same time.</p>

Integrated production and maintenance planning in hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing system with outsourcing opportunities

This paper deals with the problem of integrated production and maintenance planning with different qualities of returned products and outsourcing opportunities in a closed-loop supply chain context. The considered network consists of one manufacturer in a relationship with an outsourcing provider. The manufacturer is considered as hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing system. It produces the new products and collects returned ones for remanufacturing activities. The outsourcing provider specializes in the remanufacturing of returned products from the collection and sorting center that the manufacturer is unable to reprocess. We propose an integrated control policy based on mathematical programming, which aims to determine the integrated production and maintenance planning in a hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing context with outsourcing options. The proposed strategy minimizes the total cost of the system over a finite planning horizon, including manufacturing, in-house remanufacturing, outsourced remanufacturing, maintenance, holding, backlogging, and disposal costs. To show the applicability and validity of the developed model, we implement an iterative procedure using Matlab and CPLEX solver of GAMS. We conduct and discuss computational experiments to investigate managerial insights for the newly developed integrated strategy.

Control policies of changeable manufacturing-remanufacturing systems using two failure-prone production facilities

Control policies of changeable manufacturing-remanufacturing systems using two failure-prone production facilities

Hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing system of essential commodity in the context of COVID-19

PurposeThis paper aims to assess the feasibility of a hybrid manufacturing and remanufacturing system (HMRS) for essential commodities in the context of COVID-19. Specifically, it emphasises using HMRS based on costs associated with various manufacturing activities.Design/methodology/approachThe combination of mathematical model and system dynamics is used to model the HMRS system. The model was tried on sanitiser bottle manufacturing to generalise the result.FindingsThe remanufacturing cost is higher because of reverse logistics, inspection and holding costs. Ultimately remanufacturing costs turn out to be lesser than the original manufacturing the moment system attains stability.Practical implicationsThe study put forth the reason to encourage remanufacturing towards sustainability through government incentives.Originality/valueThe study put forth the feasibility of the HMRS system for an essential commodity in the context of a covid pandemic. The research implemented system dynamics for modelling and validation.

Carbon-emission and waste reduction of a manufacturing-remanufacturing system using green technology and autonomated inspection

Environmental-friendly technology helps to reduce waste and carbon emissions of an imperfect production system. In general, the defective products generated during the “out-of-control” state are treated as waste. The single-stage manufacturing-remanufacturing system effectively depletes such defective spare parts within the same cycle but causes a tremendous amount of carbon. In such a circumstance, green technology to reduce carbon emissions is highly recommended. Also, the autonomated inspection makes defective detection more reliable and is ultimately helpful for waste reduction. Hence, in this study, we optimize the production plan along with the investments for applying green technology and autonomated inspection in an assembled product manufacturing-remanufacturing system. The numerical result shows that the appropriate green technology decreases carbon emissions up to 2.81% and autonomated inspection reduces the waste up to 2.37%, along with a reduction of entire production cycle cost up to 18.26%. In addition, the setup cost reduction is considered due to the characteristics of assembled product production.

Manufacturing-remanufacturing systems with uncertain return: production control with estimation-in-the-loop

Production control problem for failure-prone systems that utilize both manufacturing and remanufacturing in production processes and are subject to return uncertainty and variability is studied. Proposed feedback control policies are based on the imprecise measurements. The return flow is unknown and its rate is composed of seasonal and random components. To cope with measurement errors and return variability, estimation and forecasting modules are designed and incorporated into a control loop. Market demand is supposed to be constant although may contain an unknown component (much smaller than the return). Kalman filter technique is used for estimating inventory levels and return rate online from noisy inventory measurements. Obtained estimates are used in production control procedure ensuring that the policy continuously adapts to current market conditions. The system behavior under large return rate variations is studied and cost effectiveness of the proposed policies is demonstrated.

Multi-objective production planning of new and remanufactured products in hybrid production system

In this study, we address the production planning problem within a hybrid manufacturing remanufacturing system. This system is composed of a single machine that can work in two modes: the first one that produces new products from raw materials and the second one that produces remanufactured products from returned used products. Our study is based on economic and environmental considerations where the goal is to determine the best manufacturing and remanufacturing plan that satisfies the demand for new and remanufactured products and simultaneously minimizes the total costs included (start-up, production, storage and disposal costs) as well as the minimization of the CO2 emissions generated by the new, remanufactured and disposed of products. A multi-objective mathematical model is established, and an approach based on a non-dominated genetic sorting algorithm (NSGA-II) is introduced; in addition, a technique of order performance by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) is used to find the best compromise solution among the pareto front obtained by the NSGA-II algorithm. Finally, a computational experiment is implemented to study the influence of carbon emissions from new, remanufactured and discarded items over a production horizon.

Production planning and control of unreliable hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing systems with quality-based categorization of returns

Because of environmental and economic benefits, remanufacturing has become an integral part of a large number of manufacturing companies. This new reality forces them to focus on production planning and control (PPC) to minimize costs and reduce the environmental impact by decreasing waste and resource consumption. This paper deals with a PPC problem within a hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing system (HMRS), which evolves in a constrained dynamic and stochastic context. The problem considers jointly three central decisions to optimize the long-term total cost. The main objective is to find both remanufacturing and manufacturing production rates as well as the policy used to switch between the remanufacturing modes of returns with different quality conditions. The optimal control policy characterization is performed combining optimal control theory and numerical techniques. Such policies consist of hedging point ones and stock-based switching decisions. Additional relevant control policies adapted from the literature are also considered and compared to the developed policies through a combined simulation-optimization approach, which optimize the policies control parameters. Both illustrative examples and a comparative analysis bring out the practical aspects of the proposed control policies and the interdependence between the quality conditions of returns and the production control settings. They also bring effective solutions to assist decision makers controlling simultaneously remanufacturing, manufacturing and switching operations for proper management of resource utilization, inventories and productivity.

Scenario-based two-stage stochastic programming for a Hybrid Manufacturing-Remanufacturing System with the uncertainty of returns, quality and demand

This paper addresses the optimization of make-to-order hybrid manufacturing - remanufacturing system to make capacity and inventory decisions jointly along with production decisions. The proposed system considers a common production facility and the same assembly/disassembly line to perform manufacturing and remanufacturing operations simultaneously. The current study takes into account an environment where new and remanufactured (reman) products competing to each other that is, the common demand stream for both products but different selling prices. Furthermore, the relative capacity consumed by remanufacturing over the manufacturing is explained in two ways, namely less capacity intensive case and more capacity intensive case. Differently, from previous studies, we consider a scenario with a discounted selling price for reman products, shortage penalty costs, lost sales, disposal and uncertainty in demand, amount and yield of returns. Hence, to handle those uncertainties, a scenario-based stochastic programming model in a two-stage setting is presented. In the first stage, the raw material inventory and production capacity levels are planned and in the second stage, the production, inventory and disposal decisions are determined by balancing overage and underage costs. The results indicate that net values associated with new and reman products can be decisive in choosing either manufacturing or remanufacturing.

A mathematical model for designing a reliable cellular hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing system considering alternative and contingency process routings

Due to the stringent awareness toward the preservation and resuscitation of natural resources and the potential economic benefits, designing sustainable manufacturing enterprises has become a critical issue in recent years. This presents different challenges in coordinating the activities inside the manufacturing systems with the entire closed-loop supply chain. In this paper, a mixed-integer mathematical model for designing a hybrid-manufacturing-remanufacturing system in a closed-loop supply chain is presented. Noteworthy, the operational planning of a cellular hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing system is coordinated with the tactical planning of a closed-loop supply chain. To improve the flexibility and reliability in the cellular hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing system, alternative process routings and contingency process routings are considered. The mathematical model in this paper, to the best of our knowledge, is the first integrated model in the design of hybrid cellular manufacturing systems which considers main and contingency process routings as well as reliability of the manufacturing system.

Acquisition and pricing strategies in hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing systems

There are two typical cases of acquisition and remanufacturing in a closed-loop supply chain: The third party remanufacturer (3PR) and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) separately acquire and remanufacture used products. The used products have different qualities, and they can be classified for acquisition in reality. In this paper, under the grading acquisition mode, we compare the acquisition strategies of used products and the pricing strategies of new products and remanufactured products in different manufacturing-remanufacturing systems. Then we further study the impact of the timing of remanufacturing on the profit and the environment. From an environmental perspective, the 3PR is willing to acquire and remanufacture used products at the best grade, whereas the OEM may choose more grades. The latter can reduce environmental impact. From an economic perspective, as long as the total cost of acquiring and remanufacturing used products does not exceed the threshold, remanufacturing can bring more profit for the OEM than only selling new products. Moreover, when consumers’ preference for remanufactured products is relatively high, and the total cost of acquisition and remanufacturing does not exceed the threshold, the OEM can engage in remanufacturing business before the new products exit from the market.

Multiproduct Economic Lot Scheduling Problem with Returns and Sorting Line

This work studies a hybrid manufacturing–remanufacturing system with a sorting line and disposal. In particular, it models a company that collects used product, remanufactures returned products that have been evaluated as suitable to be recovered, and manufactures new products to satisfy customer demand. Specifically, the system is modeled as a multilevel inventory system, with three types of stock (used products inventory, recoverable inventory, and serviceable inventory), each characterized by an inventory holding cost, and three limited capacity resources: a sorting line, which enables the company to distinguish those returns that are remanufacturable from those that are not; a remanufacturing line to carry out operations on sorted remanufacturable returns; and a manufacturing line to produce new products in order to satisfy customer demand. Each resource is characterized by a setup cost, as well as a constant production rate, while each type of stock is associated with an inventory holding cost. The aim of the paper is to develop a model for the considered production system in order to minimize the setup and inventory holding costs. In particular, the objective is to evaluate the behavior of a controllable disposal rate with the minimization of the total cost function, by considering the effect on the remanufacturing and manufacturing lines.

Product mix optimization model for an Industry 4.0- enabled manufacturing-remanufacturing system

Product recovery and remanufacturing have gained increasing attention among researchers and industry practitioners due to economic, legal and environmental drivers. An advanced manufacturing-remanufacturing system concept is presented to demonstrate the potentials of Industry 4.0 principles for improving the value recovery through tracking, monitoring and processing used products. A mathematical optimization model is proposed to determine the optimal product mix for the integrated manufacturing-remanufacturing system. The model can be used in an Industry 4.0- enabled network to facilitate the transition to circular economy manufacturing systems. A case of a washing machine manufacturing system is used to illustrate the model application.

Production control of failure-prone manufacturing-remanufacturing systems using mixed dedicated and shared facilities

This paper addresses a control problem within hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing systems (HMRS) evolving in a dynamic and stochastic environment. Unlike previous works, it contributes to the discourse by considering mixed dedicated and shared facilities (MDSF). It is motivated by the need to integrate the remanufacturing flow while increasing the capacity of the system to react to uncertainties (random failures and repairs of facilities, rates of returned products, etc.). The problem is to determine the production rates for the manufacturing and remanufacturing facilities as well as the setup decisions required to switch the remanufacturing facility from a mode supplied by returned products to a mode supplied by raw materials. The objective is to minimize the expected total cost. A dynamic stochastic model is thus proposed, and the developed optimality conditions are solved numerically. The obtained control policy combines hedging point policies and a stock-based setup strategy, under which switching is based on the finished products stock, according to threshold rules. Such control policy is then analyzed and compared to the literature by considering three different control policies. Two of those were developed in other contexts using only dedicated facilities or shared facilities in a dynamic and stochastic environment while the other is adapted to ours. For an effective comparison study, a simulation-based optimization approach is adopted and implemented for the problem under study. Extensive numerical results suggest that the use of MDSF managed by the proposed control policy gives the best performance in terms of costs.

Carbon footprint for designing reverse logistics network with hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing systems

This article proposes one further step toward the design of Sustainable Manufacturing Enterprise. This article presents an integrated approach for designing a reverse logistics network by minimizing the carbon emissions and the transportation distances between different candidate centers while considering several system design and operational issues of a Hybrid Manufacturing-Remanufacturing System operating within the above-mentioned reverse logistics network. Accordingly, the article attempts to integrate various sustainability aspects indoctrinated in the Sustainable Manufacturing philosophy. In view of this, a mixed integer programming model for designing a reverse logistics network is developed. The model considers the carbon foot print, facility location, and the material flow aspects of the reverse logistics network; in which a hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing system is integrated. A detailed discussion of a numerical example is presented to illustrate the proposed model. The model has potential applications for supply chain managers designing a reverse logistics networks as well as for production managers at the operations level.

Production planning of an unreliable hybrid manufacturing–remanufacturing system under uncertainties and supply constraints

This paper falls within the emerging business of remanufacturing by considering a hybrid system that uses both raw materials and returned products in the production process. Such a system brings greater managerial complexity as compared to traditional manufacturing systems especially with the presence of random events (e.g. facilities failures, delivery lead times of raw materials and returns). Thus, the determination of appropriate storage spaces and adaptive strategies to manage the manufacturing, remanufacturing and disposal operations as well as the supply of both raw materials and returns, is an important issue. This work mainly aims to propose an efficient structure of joint control policies integrating simultaneously the production and disposal activities as well as the procurement of both return and raw material. The latter has been overlooked in the literature dealing with hybrid manufacturing-remanufacturing systems (HMRS). To tackle the problem, relevant control policies developed in close contexts were implemented and revised after deep studies. A simulation-based optimization approach is applied to determine the optimal control parameters including the raw material supply and the storage space sizing of finished products, raw materials and returns while minimizing the total incurred cost. An in-depth sensitivity analysis is conducted showing the robust behavior and the usefulness of the proposal. For all tested instances, the results show that the proposed control policies lead to important cost savings, which varies between 6.26% and 54.14% compared to those implemented from literature, not considering simultaneous management of raw materials and returns. Valuable insights providing a better understanding of interactions involving manufacturing, remanufacturing, disposal and procurement of both returns and raw materials are also discussed.