Characteristics of the automotive remanufacturing enterprise with an economic and environmental evaluation of alternator products

摘要

Technology has improved the standard of living while resulting in serious global challenges with respect to the climate, air, water, land and material resources. Remanufacturing is a process that restores old products to perform like new, while saving energy, reducing consumption of natural resources and lowering environmental emissions. In this paper, we investigate characteristics of the automotive remanufacturing enterprise with an economic and environmental evaluation of alternator products. The paper reveals attitudes and impressions that were collected from 13 automotive component remanufacturers and shows that typical business structures of remanufacturing companies and their core collecting and product retail logistics influence the economics of component remanufacturing. The economic and environmental analysis also provides a baseline estimate of improvements in material use and energy associated with remanufacturing versus producing a new alternator.