Durch immer knapper werdende Ressourcen, steigendes ökologisches Bewusstsein der Konsumenten und nicht zuletzt gesetzlichen Vorgaben sind produzierende Unternehmen über den gesamten Lebenszyklus ihrer Produkte für diese verantwortlich. Dies gilt im Besonderen für Hersteller elektronischer Produkte. Stetige Innovationen und kurze Nutzungszyklen führen dazu, dass noch funktionierende Geräte ungenutzt in den Haushalten lagern oder im Restmüll entsorgt werden. Mit der WEEE-Richtlinie verpflichtete die EU 2003 die Hersteller elektronischer Produkte dazu, nachhaltiger zu produzieren, Ressourcen effizienter zu nutzen, die Schadstoffbelastung und allgemein das durch die elektrischen Geräte induzierte Müllaufkommen zu reduzieren. Mit der Aufgabe diese Ziele zu erreichen, stellen sich die Hersteller somit einer großen Herausforderung. Auf der einen Seite steigt der Druck des Wettbewerbs, die Konsumenten werden zunehmend kritischer und die Rohstoffkosten steigen. Auf der anderen Seite müssen sie eine adäquate Verwertung ihrer Altprodukte finden und deren Rückführung sicherstellen. Dabei sind sie maßgeblich abhängig von der Entscheidung der Konsumenten. Diese können das Produkt kostenfrei entsorgen, jedoch fehlt es ihnen häufig an entsprechenden Anreizen. Diese Dissertation klärt daher u.a. folgende Forschungsfragen: Welche Möglichkeiten gibt es, die Vorgaben des Gesetzgebers (WEEE) profitabel umzusetzen und wie kann der Konsument in die Planung einer Closed Loop Supply Chain (CLSC) einbezogen werden. Zudem diskutiert sie die Optionen die Handlungen der Konsumenten aktiv zu beeinflussen. Mit Hilfe der spieltheoretischen Modellierung wird ein komplexes dynamisches Modell entwickelt, welches sowohl für den Hersteller als auch für die Endkunden elektronischer Produkte die bestmögliche Lösung vorschlägt. Mit dem entwickelten Modell ist es den Herstellern möglich, ein optimales Produktionsprogramm für mehrere Perioden unter Beachtung einer optimalen Rücknahmestrategie aufzustellen.

Quantitative modelling of reverse logistics networks and product recovery have been the focus of many research activities in the past few decades. Interest to these models are mostly due to the complexity of reverse logistics networks that necessitates further analysis with the help of mathematical models. In comparison to the traditional forward logistics networks, reverse logistics networks have to deal with the quality of returns issues as well as a high degree of uncertainty in return flow. Additionally, a variety of recovery routes, such as reuse, repair, remanufacturing and recycling, exist. The decision making for utilising these routes requires the quality of returns and uncertainty of return flow to be considered. In this research, integrated forward and reverse logistics networks with repair, remanufacturing and disposal routes are considered. Returns are assumed to be classified based on their quality in ordinal quality levels and quality thresholds are used to split the returned products into repairable, remanufacturable and disposable returns. Fuzzy numbers are used to model the uncertainty in demand and return quantities of different quality levels. Setup costs, non-stationary demand and return quantities, and different lead times have been considered. To facilitate decision making in such networks, a two phase optimisation model is proposed. Given quality thresholds as parameters, the decision variables including the quantities of products being sent to repair, disassembly and disposal, components to be procured and products to be repaired, disassembled or produced for each time period within the time horizon are determined using a fuzzy optimisation model. A sensitivity analysis of the fuzzy optimisation model is carried out on the network parameters including quantity of returned products, unit repair an disassembly costs and procurement, production, disassembly and repair setup costs. A fuzzy controller is proposed to determine quality thresholds based on some ratios of the reverse logistics network parameters including repair to new unit cost, disassembly to new unit cost, repair to disassembly setup, disassembly to procurement setup and return to demand ratios. Fuzzy controller’s sensitivity is also examined in relation to parameters such as average repair and disassembly costs, repair, disassembly, production and procurement setup costs and return to demand ratio. Finally, a genetic fuzzy method is developed to tune the fuzzy controller and improve its rule base. The rule base obtained and the results of sensitivity analyses are utilised to gain better managerial insights into these reverse logistics networks.

Problem: The demand of beverages in PET bottles is constantly increasing. In this context, environmental, technological and regulatory aspects set a stronger focus on recycling. Generally, the reuse of recycled material from post-consumer PET bottles in bottle-to-bottle applications is seen as least environmentally harmful. However, closed-loop systems are not widely implemented in Europe. Previous research mainly focuses on open-loop recycling systems and generally lacks discussion about the current German and Swedish systems and their challenges. Furthermore, previous studies lack theoretical and practical enhancements for bottle-to-bottle recycling from a managerial perspective. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the PET bottle recycling systems in Germany and Sweden, analyse the main barriers and develop enhancements for closed-loop systems. Method: This qualitative study employs a case study strategy about the two cases of Germany and Sweden. In total, 14 semi-structured interviews are conducted with respondents from different industry sectors within the PET bottle recycling systems. The empirical data is categorised and then analysed by pattern matching with the developed theoretical framework. Conclusion: Due to the theoretical and practical commitment to closed-loop recycling, the Swedish PET bottle recycling system outperforms the Germany system. In Germany, bottle-to-bottle recycling is currently performed on a smaller scale without a unified system. The main barriers for bottle-to-bottle recycling are distinguished into (1) quality and material factors, (2) regulatory and legal factors, (3) economic and market factors and (4) factors influenced by consumers. The enhancements for the systems are (1) quality and material factors, (2) regulatory and legal factors, (3) recollection factors and (4) expanding factors. Lastly, the authors provide further recommendations, which are (1) a recycling content symbol on bottle labels, (2) a council for bottle quality in Germany, (3) a quality seal for the holistic systems, (4) a reduction of transportation in Sweden and (5) an increase of consumer awareness on PET bottle consumption.

Due to legal, economic and socio-environmental factors, reverse logistics practices and extended producer responsibility have developed into a necessity in many countries. The end results and expectations may differ, but the motivation remains the same. Two significant components in a reverse logistics system -product recovery options and return channels - are the focus of this thesis. The two main issues examined are allocation of the returned products to recovery options, and selection of the collection methods for product returns. The initial segment of this thesis involves the formulation of a linear programming model to determine the optimal allocation of returned products differing in quality to specific recovery options. This model paves the way for a study on the effects of flexibility on product recovery allocation. A computational example utilising experimental data was presented to demonstrate the viability of the proposed model. The results revealed that in comparison to a fixed match between product qualities and recovery options, the product recovery operation appeared to be more profitable with a flexible allocation. The second segment of this thesis addresses the methods employed for the initial collection of returned products. A mixed integer nonlinear programming model was developed to facilitate the selection of optimal collection methods for these products. This integrated model takes three different initial collection methods into consideration. The model is used to solve an illustrative example optimally. However, as the complexity of the issue renders this process ineffective in the face of larger problems, the Lagrangian relaxation method was proposed to generate feasible solutions within reasonable computational times. This method was put to the test and the results were found to be encouraging.

本研究透過逆向物流文獻的整理及個案訪談分析針對企業逆向物流運作在企業國際化發展過程中不同時期的發展進行探討，了解逆向物流在個案公司國際化發展歷程不同的階段當中，不同逆向物流維修模式如何演進的過程，企業如何採行不同的組織方式來進行不同的服務模式。根據訪談結果顯示，企業發展逆向物流的階段主要可以依據國際化發展程度區分為四個時期：草創期、成長期、穩定期、精進期，國際化發展程度隨其市場廣度增加而提升。逆向物流維修模式也隨著在工廠內維修到客戶端維修及區域據點設立、到國家層級服務中心設定、以至於全球服務據點運籌布局。從個案公司發展逆向物流的歷程可以歸納出以下幾點發現： 1.資源投入的數量在不同時期皆為影響逆向物流維修模式的重要因素。 2.不同時期發展逆向物流的動機與目標有所不同，皆會影響逆向物流維修模式。 3.隨著企業的國際化發展程度提高，從事逆向物流所需的能力，影響服務模式的重要性逐漸提高，除了基本的維修能力之外，更強調全球運籌及跨國管理的能力。 4.當企業發展到國際化程度非常高時，運用區位優勢來設計維修服務模式將顯得非常重要。 5.逆向物流維修模式的發展随著國際化程度提高，在組織內部有化被動為主動的趨勢，其功能的獨立性也逐漸提升。 綜合以上，企業可以評估自身條件包括規模大小、資源多寡、能力優劣程度、市場的國際化程度以及所面臨的競爭環境，來選擇適當的逆向物流維修模式。在不同階段選擇合適的服務模式將有助於業務的成長甚至建立企業的競爭優勢。 / This research discusses how a firm developed its reverse logistics repair services model in different stage of internationalization. Through in-depth interview, we can understand the evolution of a firm’s reverse logistics repair service model and how they adopt different organization structure to deal with different service model. According to the result of the interview, the process of a firm’s reverse logistics development can be divided into four stages including early stage, growth stage, stable stage, and progress stage according to its degree of internationalization which is measured by the firm’s market scope. Corresponding with different stages, there are four types of reverse logistics repair services models. With the first one, the firm retained most operation in its own factories. With the second one, the firm designated engineers to customers’ location and established regional repair service centers. With the third one, the firm built up country level service centers, and finally, the firm is utilizing global logistics to allocate resources and coordinate activities in different repair service center. From the firm’s development model, there are several findings: 1.The amount of resources commitment is always a critical factor for reverse logistics repair service model 2.Different motives and objectives of developing reverse logistics in different period influence reverse logistics repair service model 3.As a firm’s degree of internationalization is getting higher, the ability to engage in reverse logistics plays a more important role in repair service model. In addition to basic capability of repair service, a company should put more emphasis on global logistics and transnational management 4.When a firm’s degree of internationalization is very high, it’s very important to utilize location- specific advantage to design its repair service model 5.As a firm’s degree of internationalization is getting higher, reverse logistics function evolves from passive to active and becomes more independent Overall, a firm can evaluate itself in terms of scale, resource, ability, degree of internationalization, competitive environment in order to choose appropriate reverse logistics repair service model. Adopting proper service model at different stage is beneficial for sales growth and even establishment of a firm’s competitive advantage.

Syfte – Syftet med detta examensarbete är att bidra med kunskap om hur kvalitetsstyrning av inkommande returflöde kan generera en effektivare återtillverkningsprocess. För att uppfylla syftet har följande två frågeställningar formulerats: Vilka faktorer i returflödet påverkar effektiviteten i en återtillverkningsprocess? Hur kan dessa faktorer kontrolleras för att erhålla en effektivare återtillverkningsprocess? Metod – För att uppnå examensarbetets syfte har en fallstudie genomförts hos återtillverkningsföretaget Recyctec AB i Jönköping. Empirisk data har samlats in med hjälp av intervjuer, observationer och benchmarking. Utöver fallstudien har en litteraturstudie genomförts där ett teoretiskt ramverk skapats. Det teoretiska ramverket har sedan analyserats tillsammans med empirin för att slutligen generera examensarbetets resultat. Resultat – De osäkerhetsfaktorer som författarna identifierat är: drivkrafter för ett återtillverkningsnätverk, osäkerheter i returnerade produkter och kvalitetsbedömning av returnerade produkter. Genom att arbeta med åtgärder för returproduktanskaffning och kvalitetsstyrning för dessa tre osäkerhetsfaktorer kan en effektivare återställningsprocess erhållas. Genom att kombinera olika drivkrafter kan samarbetsviljan i återställningsnätverket ökas. Vidare kan osäkerheten i returnerade produkter minskas genom att dela in kvalitet i olika tydligt definierade och standardiserade kvalitetsklasser. Implikationer – I detta examensarbete föreslås återtillverkande företag skifta fokus från kvalitetskontroller till kvalitetssäkring och lägga resurser där problemen uppstår. Vidare föreslås även en kombination av olika drivkrafter för returproduktanskaffning för att därigenom skapa incitament för returer av bättre kvalitet. Begränsningar – Befintlig teori har fått tolkas och anpassas av författarna för examensarbetet då specifik teori för aktuell analysenhet inte funnits att tillgå. Problemställningarna i återtillverkningsbranschen har visat sig vara branschspecifika och därmed olika. Examensarbetets generaliserbarhet hade därmed kunnat stärkas av ytterligare fallstudier. / Purpose – The purpose of this thesis work is to contribute with knowledge about how quality management can generate a more efficient remanufacturing process. In order to fulfill this purpose the following two questions were formulated: 1.     Which factors in the return flow affects the efficiency of a remanufacturing process? How can these factors be controlled to obtain a more efficient remanufacturing process? Method – In order to achieve the purpose of this thesis, a case study has been conducted at Recyctec AB in Jönköping. Empirical data has been collected through interviews, observations and benchmarking. In addition to the case study a literature study has been carried out in order to create a theoretical framework. The theoretical framework has been analyzed together with the empirical data in order to generate the result of the thesis. Findings – The uncertainties identified by the authors are: driving forces for the remanufacturing network, uncertainties in returned products and quality assessment of returned products. By working with measures on return product acquisition and quality management for these three uncertainties, a more efficient remanufacturing process can be achieved. By combining different driving forces a higher level of cooperation in the remanufacturing network can be achieved. Furthermore, dividing quality into different clearly defined and standardized quality classes can reduce the uncertainties in returned products. Implications – This thesis proposes remanufacturing companies to shift focus from quality control to quality assurance and to address resources where the problems arise. Furthermore, the authors suggest remanufacturing companies to combine different driving forces for product return in order to create incentives to return products with higher quality. Limitations – Existing theory has been interpreted and adapted by the authors to the thesis, as specific theory for the current unit of analysis has not been available. The problems in the remanufacturing industry have proven to be industry specific and thus different. The thesis generalizability could therefore been strengthened by further case studies.

La trascendencia de esta investigación radica en analizar la cadena de suministros local , el comercio internacional y la concientización a las empresas públicas, privadas y también al público en general sobre la importancia del reciclaje electrónico con los adecuados procesos en el marco de la ley vigente en el Perú, ya que la basura electrónica afecta al medio ambiente y a la salud de las personas si no tienen un tratamiento adecuado. Asimismo, se incluye al estado como principal actor para proponer y ejecutar las mejores propuestas para alcanzar un mayor nivel de recolección de RAEE de todos los ámbitos y ser un país comprometido con la salud y el medio ambiente términos de gestión ambiental. Este trabajo cuenta con un método exploratorio fenomenológico – descriptivo que hace uso del programa ATLAS TI para el análisis cualitativo con el fin de buscar conocer las actividades que deben mejorar en la cadena de suministros del RAEE en el Perú para que sean eficientes. De acuerdo a los resultados obtenidos a través de entrevistas a especialistas y opiniones del público en general, se obtuvieron como puntos principales de mejora la falta de cultura de reciclaje, las imprecisiones y vacíos en la normativa RAEE ,falta de tipificación de sanciones , infracciones y fiscalización ,ausencia de incentivos para empresas y público en general , falta de una ley de responsabilidad extendida del productor, la alta informalidad en el reciclaje , la centralización del reciclaje, falta de adecuada infraestructura y falta de campañas de promoción por parte del gobierno . Finalmente se elaboró una serie de conclusiones y recomendaciones para los diferentes actores de acuerdo con la normativa vigente con el único propósito de mejorar el manejo y la logística inversa de estos residuos. / The importance of this research lies in analyzing the local supply chain, international trade and awareness to public and private companies and also to the general public about the importance of electronic recycling with the appropriate processes under the current law in Peru, since electronic waste affects the environment and the health of people if they do not have adequate treatment. Likewise, the government is included as the main actor to propose and execute the best proposals to achieve a higher level of WEEE collection in all areas and to be a country committed to health and environmental management terms. This work has a phenomenological - descriptive exploratory method in which it makes use of the ATLAS TI program for qualitative analysis in order to find out about the activities that must be improved in the supply chain of WEEE in Peru in order to be efficient. According to the results obtained through interviews with specialists and opinions of the general public, were obtained as main points of improvement such as the lack of a culture of recycling, inaccuracies and gaps in the WEEE regulation, lack of penalties, infractions and violations , lack of incentives for companies and the general public, lack of an extended producer responsibility law, high informality in recycling, centralization of recycling, lack of adequate infrastructure and lack of promotion campaigns by the government. Finally, a series of conclusions and recommendations were drawn up for the different actors according to current regulations with the sole purpose of improving the management and reverse logistics of these wastes. / Tesis

[pt] Nos últimos anos, a excelência em serviços vem sendo tratada, tanto no meio acadêmico quanto no meio empresarial, como um assunto de extrema importância para os novos modelos empresariais. Entretanto, a qualidade em serviços no comércio eletrônico ainda é pouco discutida. Evidências indicam que o serviço oferecido aos clientes virtuais ainda é crítico principalmente quando se trata de troca e devolução. O objetivo principal deste trabalho é analisar a avaliação dos consumidores online sobre o processo de troca e devolução. Para isso, além da pesquisa bibliográfica, foi realizado um estudo de caso na Americanas.com, braço virtual da rede Lojas Americanas, considerada uma referência em comércio eletrônico B2C (business-to-consumer). Foi desenvolvido um instrumento de avaliação baseado na escala SERVQUAL - e aplicado aos clientes que já experimentaram o processo de troca ou devolução da Americanas.com - e um estudo com base no modelo de gaps, ambos propostos por Parasuraman et al. (1988 e 1985). No tratamento dos dados serão utilizados: análise multivariada , estatísticas descritivas e teste t- Student. Para a análise dos dados foi utilizado o software SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science). / [en] In the last years, the service excellence is being discussed at academic and business environment as an extremely important subject for new business models. However, in the e-commerce the service quality is not as much discussed. Evidences show that the service delivered for e-costumers is critical especially when concerned with reverse logistics. The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the customers online evaluation about the reverse logistics process. In order to fulfill the objectives, a review of the bibliography was made and also a case study at Americanas.com, an online shop of the Lojas Americanas S.A., generally recognized as a reference in the electronic commerce B2C (business-to-consumer) in Brazil. An evaluation instrument based on the SERVQUAL scale was developed - and applied to customers involved in the reverse logistics process at Americanas.com - and a study based on gaps model, both proposed by Parasuraman et al. (1988 and 1985). In the data treatment the following instruments have been used: multivariate analysis, descriptive statistics and t-Student test. The software SPSS was used to perform the analyses.

I takt med den ökande befolkningsmängden ställs allt högre krav på företag för att bibehålla de ändliga resurserna. En förutsättning för fortsatt utveckling är effektivisering där resurser används på ett mer effektivt sätt med syfte att minska miljöpåverkan men också ur ett kostnadsperspektiv där företagen ska kunna konkurera eller överleva på den ökande marknaden. Idag läggs mycket fokus på verksamheters flöde i riktning mot konsumenter, allt för att tillfredsställa kundbehov och öka vinsterna. Returflödet inriktas på gods som färdas emot det traditionella flödet för utgående gods och har på senare tid ställts i rampljuset mot ett cirkulärt flöde.Syftet med examensarbetet är att kartlägga returflöden från företag belägna i Orust kommun för att undersöka möjligheterna till effektivisering ur olika aspekter. För att driva studien gjordes en enkätundersökning där 19 företag medverkade genom att svara på 13 frågor berörande dess returflöde, varav 12 angav att de har ett returflöde. Respondenterna undersöktes och placerade ut på kartan för att kunna ge en tydligare bild av nuläget. Från enkäten framgick att nästan alla av respondenterna i studien returnerade sitt gods direkt tillbaka till leverantör i samband med inleverans. De resterande företagen med returflöde angav att de skickade gods till avfallshantering. Företagens returgodstyper varierade från returemballage till farligt gods och frekvensen för returgodset varierade från ett par pall per dag till ett par per år.I dagsläget finns två vägar in till ön i riktning norr- eller söderut där all godstrafik går. Utefter respondenternas svar konstruerades två fiktiva mjölkrundor med rutt där även de två avfallscentralerna utgjorde en fördelaktig omlastningspunkt för avlämning av avfall med utgång vid respektive bro beroende på godsets slutdestination. Förutsättningar för att en mjölkrunda med konsolidering ska kunna vara applicerbar är att godsets slutdestination ligger åt liknande håll, att returflödesfrekvensen och godstyper är av liknande karaktär. Att transportera avfall i samband med livsmedel är inget alternativ på grund av lagar, men däremot kan exempelvis glasavfall och returemballage returneras i samma fordon. I komplement till den fiktiva mjölkrundan föreslås en utplacering av två nav utanför Orusts gränser med hänsyn till den tunga belastningen på de broar som ansluter kommunen med fastlandet. Naven agerar också mellanhänder för företagens leverantörer som istället för att köra in på Orust, kan hämta upp godset i respektive nav. I den fiktiva lösningen skulle nuvarande transportsträcka på ön minska från 466,6 kilometer till 157,5 kilometer. Trots att samlastning ofta leder till minskad tids- och flexibilitetseffektivitet kan det ur ett miljö- och kostnadsmässigt perspektiv öka effektiviteten för företagen. Den fiktiva lösningen kan på liknande sätt appliceras på fler företag belägna på Orust beroende av verksamhet och plats. / In line with the growing population the demands on companies to act more sustainable are increasing. A prerequisite for continued development is efficiency enhancement where resources are used in a more efficient manner with the aim of reducing environmental impact but also from a cost reducing and social sustainability perspective. The focus is commonly placed on the forward flow of products, often with the goal to make as much money as possible and still please the customers.The main purpose with this thesis is to map the return flow from companies located in Orust to examine the possibilities to enhance the efficiency from various aspects. To carry out the study, a survey was conducted involving 19 companies responding to 13 questions concerning their return flow. From the survey, it was found that almost all of the respondents in the study returned their goods directly back to the supplier in conjunction with the delivery. The remaining companies with return flow indicated that they sent goods to waste management. The return types of the companies ranged from return packaging to dangerous goods and the frequency of returnees varied from a few pallets per day to a few pallets per year.There are two bridges over to the island of Orust where all the freight traffic is going: one in the north and one in the south. Following the respondents' responses, two fictional milk rounds were constructed by route where the two waste centers also represented an advantageous relocation point for waste disposal at the end of each bridge depending on the end destination of the goods. Prerequisites for this type of consolidation to be applicable are that the destination of the goods is similar, that the return flow rate and type of goods are of a similar nature. Carriage of waste in the same vehicle as food is no alternative due to regulations, but, for example, glass waste and return packaging can be returned in the same vehicle. In addition to the fictional milk round, a placement of two hubs outside Orust's borders is proposed in due to the heavy burden on the bridges connecting the municipality with the mainland. The hubs could also act as intermediaries for companies’ suppliers who instead of driving into Orust can pick up the goods in their respective hubs.In the fictitious solution, the current transport distance on the island would decrease from 466.6 kilometers to 157.5 kilometers. Although this type of consolidation often leads to reduced time efficiency, it can increase the efficiency of the companies from an environmental and cost perspective. The fictitious solution can similarly be applied to more companies located at Orust, depending on the business and location.

Background:          The growing number of electric vehicles gives rise to a whole new reverse supply chain. Once the electric vehicle batteries reach their end-of-life, societal and governmental pressure forces automotive manufacturers to set up a network for disposing the hazardous batteries. Although, the volumes of returned batteries remain low, volumes will increase in upcoming years. Current networks and processes related to the return flow of electric vehicle batteries are not well established, nor well defined. Thus, creating an urgency to develop efficient collection networks.   Purpose:                  The purpose of this study is to investigate how reverse logistics networks are currently set up and to provide an overview of how the different actors and processes are connected. In addition, this thesis aims to identify challenges encountered by logistics providers and recyclers. By doing so, we hope to contribute to the research gap of which factors that constitutes a bottleneck for further development of the reverse logistics chain of electric vehicle batteries.   Method:                  The thesis conducts an interview study and is qualitative in nature. Semi-structured interviews generated empirical data, which was analysed through cross-case analysis incorporating a thematic analysis. Through this analysis we were able to achieve new theoretical understandings in connection to institutional theory.   Conclusion:             Through empirical findings a detailed framework of the reverse logistics chain of EVBs is portrayed. Furthermore, different challenges span over the processes illustrated in the framework. This presents an overview which is not found in current literature and extends current research on this topic.