&lt;title&gt;Cost-benefit study of consumer product take-back programs using IBM's WIT reverse logistics optimization tool&lt;/title&gt;

Veerakamolmal, Pitipong; Lee, Yung-Joon; Fasano, J.P.; Hale, Rhea; Jacques, M.

doi:10.1117/12.455279

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This study builds upon a previous case study using the WIT tool [4]. In the case study presented in this paper, the WIT model has been enhanced to attempt to capture additional variables including regional consolidation points, transportation costs, handling costs, and yield factors to better reflect real life scenarios.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Optimizing reverse logistics scenarios: a cost-benefit study using IBM's WIT tool

Fasano

Hale²,

Jacques³

et al.

Conference Record 2002 IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment (Cat. No.02CH37273)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IBM has a long history of product end-of-life management and recycling activities, largely centered around IBM's commercial client base. These activities have expanded over time to include product takeback from both commercial customers and individual consumers worldwide. This growth, along with the decreased margins associated with PC products, has made the task of managing these operations in a cost efficient manner more complex. Coordination of these processes across the various markets in which IBM operates requires better supply and demand and costing information for improved decision making. This paper presents an overview of a conceptual study designed to examine the costs and benefits of product end-oflife disposition decisions for used electronics equipment. The study utilizes a reverse logistics supply chain model to examine these decisions. The model was created using the IBM supply chain optimization tool known as WIT (Watson Implosion Technology) developed by IBM's TJ Watson Research Center. The WIT tool automates the decision making process used to determine the optimal mix of equipment that should be refurbished for resale versus dismantled for parts thereby greatly improving the info'rmation available for determining end of life disposition solutions.The WIT optimization tool can be used to determine a theoretical optimal cost scenario through which projected costs and benefits of product takeback can be better estimated. Using these estimates, an organization could use this information to determine what mix of products to target, what (if any) margins exist, and what costs to focus on for potential reductions. This exercise can be theoretically applied to various product takeback models in an effort to improve efficiencies.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%