Title: A decision-making methodology for transition to reuse business

Authors: Hideki Kobayashi, Toshimitsu Kumazawa

Addresses: Environmental Technology Laboratory, Corporate R&D Center, Toshiba Corporation, Japan. ' Environmental Technology Laboratory, Corporate R&D Center, Toshiba Corporation, Japan

Abstract: Seven technical elements are systematised for transforming a product selling business into a reuse business, which is defined as ||products are collected and reused||. There are two major approaches to making a decision to start a reuse business: a manufacturing-driven approach and a marketing-driven approach. In the latter, a framework of Rental or Lease (R/L) service is assumed. This paper, with a view to minimising the risk to a service provider, proposes a decision-making procedure for determining whether a reuse business should be started or not. In this paper, a component analysis method for R/L service is also presented.

Keywords: reuse; remanufacturing; rental services; lease services; life cycle design; business risk; marketing; decision making; manufacturing; component analysis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETM.2007.015631

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, 2007 Vol.7 No.5/6, pp.578 - 595

Published online: 06 Nov 2007 *

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