Remanufacturing in Brazil: case studies on the automotive sector

This article presents an exploratory study on the current remanufacturing scenario and its main characteristics within the Brazilian Automotive sector. A review of the remanufacturing literature was performed regarding its evolution, benefits and the actors in the supply chain. Next, two case studies were conducted; one original equipment manufacturer, which remanufactures the products they produce, and one independent manufacturer, which remanufactures products and/or components originally produced by the Original equipment manufacturer. The remanufacturing characteristics for each case were analyzed and described. The results show that the original equipment manufacturing company has more advantages when compared to the independent company, specifically regarding the relationship with used product suppliers, remanufacturing operation and marketing of the remanufactured product. However, cooperation between the original equipment manufacturing and independent companies can be created and this could bring better remanufacturing operations and increased profitability for both.