Title: A concept of reliability evaluation for reuse and remanufacturing

Authors: Maria Anityasari, Hartmut Kaebernick

Addresses: Life Cycle Engineering and Management Research Group, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia. ' Life Cycle Engineering and Management Research Group, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia

Abstract: As reliability is critical to ensure market acceptance and economic feasibility of reused products, this paper proposes a methodology to determine a threshold value of reliability for reuse evaluation. The methodology is novel and can be integrated in some current models for assessing the technical reusability potential. Three different scenarios are outlined representing items that are suitable for reuse, remanufacturing, or recycling. Some trade-offs between warranty cost and remanufacturing cost are also discussed as the implications of threshold selection. The critical part in this methodology is the selection of the reliability level by manufacturers.

Keywords: product reuse; remanufacturing; reliability; threshold; remanufacturing cost; warranty cost; reuse evaluation; recycling; sustainable manufacturing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSM.2008.019224

International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing, 2008 Vol.1 No.1/2, pp.3 - 17

Published online: 02 Jul 2008 *

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