Managing Closed-Loop Supply Chains


Flapper, Simme Douwe P.; Nunen, Jo A.E.E. van; Wassenhove, Luk N. Van (Eds.)

The increasing number of returns of products and the items used for their distribution has become an important topic for many companies all over the world due to increasing competition and environmental legislation. Closed-Loop Supply Chains (CLSC) may offer companies a unique opportunity to improve their profits on the one hand and to serve societal responsibility on the other hand. The management of CLSC differs in a number of ways from managing supply chains in general. The book gives insight in these differences and how these differences may be dealt with in practice, by offering a concrete framework, introducing the different aspects related to CLSC (technical, organisational, planning and control, information, environmental and business economic) and their mutual relations, in a systematic logical way as well as cases clustered according to the inputs for a CLSC, like commercial returns, end-of-life returns, where for each case attention is paid to all the above mentioned aspects. The framework and especially the cases from successful companies offer the reader an invaluable help to build up and improve CLSC.

Table of Contents 

Part 1: Introduction to closed-loop supply chains

Simme Douwe P. Flapper, Jo A.E.E. van Nunen and Luk N. Van Wassenhove

Part 2: Production closed-loop supply chains

2 Reverse logistics in a pharmaceutical company: the Schering case
3 Reverse logistics in an electronics company: the NEC-CI case

Part 3: Distribution closed-loop supply chains

4 The Chip in Grate: the Heineken case
5 Recovery and reuse of maritime Containers: the Blue Container Line case
6 Empty Container reposition: the port of Rotterdam case

Part 4: Commercial returns closed-loop supply chains

7 Commercial returns of sun-protection products: the L'Oreal France case
8 Commercial returns of printers: the RP Case
9 Commercial returns in a mail order company: the Wehkamp case

Part 5: Repair and replacement closed-loop supply chains

10 The repair of electronic equipment: the OMRON case
11 Tire recovery: the RetreadCo Gase
12 The closed-loop supply chain of service parts: the Whirlpool case

Part 6: End-of-use closed-loop supply chains

13 End-of-lease asset recovery: the Oce case
14 Cellular telephone reuse: the ReCellular Inc. case
15 Recovery of car engines: the Mercedes-Benz case

Part 7: End-of-life closed-loop supply chains

16 Recovering end-of-life large White goods: the Dutch initiative
17 End-of-life tire recovery: the Thessaloniki initiative

Part 8: Conclusions on closed-loop supply chains

18 Future developments in managing closed-loop supply chains

More information

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