A holistic approach to reverse supply chain planning for remanufacturing

In remanufacturing, reverse logistics introduces additional challenges to planning for a closed loop supply chain. Plan, source, make and delivery of the products are affected by the reverse flow of used products and materials for subsequent consumption in manufacturing of new products. This paper gives a comprehensive study on the challenges faced by the manufacturers towards achieving reverse supply chain management. It highlights the issues related to the strategic business model, the business processes and the enabling technologies to be able to operate efficiently in a reverse supply chain environment. It investigates the points that are critical to an efficient supply chain management model, and describes a model to capture the policies of the organization at a higher level and govern the activities at the execution level. Finally it describes some critical research issues for the proposed holistic approach to planning.