Development of robust design-for-remanufacturing guidelines to further the aims of sustainable development

TLDR

Manufacturing faces challenges such as pollution, resource depletion, waste, and landfill constraints, and remanufacturing—returning used products to a like‑new state—has emerged as a key strategy, yet design‑for‑remanufacturing knowledge remains scarce due to its novelty. The study aims to outline remanufacturing concepts, review existing DFRem research, present UK case‑study findings, and propose steps to strengthen DFRem methodologies. The authors review remanufacturing concepts, survey DFRem literature, analyze UK industrial case studies, and suggest methodological steps to enhance DFRem robustness. The UK case studies validate and extend earlier DFRem research, confirming the viability of the proposed concepts.

Abstract

Key manufacturing challenges include pollution, natural resource depletion, waste management and landfill space. Remanufacturing, a process of bringing used products to a ‘like-new’ functional state with warranty to match, is being regarded as a vital strategy in waste management and environmentally conscious manufacturing. There is a paucity of remanufacturing knowledge, particularly in design-for-remanufacturing (DFRem) because of its relative novelty in research terms. This paper outlines the elements of the remanufacturing concept, details existing design-for-remanufacturing research and describes findings from recent UK industrial case studies undertaken to verify and augment previous research. It proposes some fundamental steps required to build on past work to improve the robustness of DFRem methodologies.