Thesis
A strategic operations framework for disassembly in remanufacturing
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2015
- Thesis identifier
- T14175
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201050510
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- Previous studies into the field of disassembly have widely focused on both product attributes. These attributes include the number of components, product structure, type of materials and other geometrical information. From a management perspective, disassembly that focuses on these attributes is categorised as operational issues, which deal with day-to-day decisions. On the other hand, organisational characteristics and process choices, which are strategic in nature, have generally been overlooked by previous investigations. Some studies have attempted to include such variables in their analysis, but these studies were not comprehensive. This research therefore endeavours to address this oversight by investigating disassembly from an integrative perspective that incorporates organisational characteristics, process choices and product attributes. This inductive study features five remanufacturing companies as case studies in order to develop a comprehensive framework of disassembly strategies. The selection of the companies was not random, but rather took into consideration their potential for providing theoretical insights. The study starts by outlining a new process model of disassembly for remanufacturing, followed by a comprehensive identification of factors affecting disassembly. It incorporates organisational characteristics, process choices and product attributes. The five companies are then grouped into four quadrants, according to these factors, and the strategies within each group are analysed in order to develop the framework of the disassembly strategies, which is the main contribution of this study. The key findings of this research are: (1) remanufacturers in Quadrant I, which disassemble cores with low complexity and high stability supply, rely on disassembly resources flexibility; (2) remanufacturers located in Quadrant II, which disassemble cores with low product complexity and high stability supply, attempt to exploit the benefits of high volume of production; and (3) remanufacturers in Quadrant III, which disassemble complex cores in high stability supply, endeavour to maximise recovered value from the cores. No company was classified as belonging in Quadrant IV, which disassemble cores with high complexity but lack of stability. The generalisability of the framework has been confirmed by a panel of experts. The members of the expert panel are academia and practitioners that have an extensive knowledge in this field. This study could be criticised on the basis of its small sample size; however, the validity and reliability criteria are fulfilled to ensure that the results represent its objectivity.
- Resource Type
- DOI
- Date Created
- 2015
- Former identifier
- 1239165
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