Returning end-of-life products to as-new condition is called remanufacturing and can be an essential element in a circular economy. But for more industrial companies to take an interest in it, remanufacturing needs to be economically viable.
In a doctoral thesis from Linköping University, Johan Vogt Duberg has investigated how this can be accomplished.
Remanufacturing means that end-of-life products are transformed to work as new again, both in terms of function and appearance. These products are referred to as cores. The principle can be used for a variety of products from lawn mowers and trucks to computers and car parts. In order to ensure that the original manufacturers get their end-of-life products back at a predictable rate, Johan Vogt Duberg thinks that several different approaches can be used. These include deposit schemes, buy-back of cores, and leasing, where a provider company can own the product throughout the use phase and it is returned at the end of the contract.
"It's much more complex than new manufacturing. Every core that comes back is unique. This means that a company that remanufactures must have a very flexible process that adapts to each core in order to be effective and thus get the financial rewards and environmental benefits," he says. "To succeed, you need to really invest in remanufacturing. A company can't just start from one day to the next. It takes time and energy."
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