INTEGRATION OF REMANUFACTURING ISSUES INTO THE DESIGN PROCESS

Remanufacturing is the process of returning a used product to like-new condition with a warranty to match. The efficiency and effectiveness of this process greatly depends upon product design; there are certain product properties that may have a positive or negative effect on steps of the remanufacturing process. The concept of 'design for remanufacture' or 'DfRem' is a design task dedicated to improving the remanufacturability of a product. However, it would appear that very few products are currently designed for remanufacture and the reasons behind this have yet to be fully explored. This paper provides an overview of the problem and a discussion of some of the preliminary findings of a study aimed at improving designers' ability to carry out DfRem. The findings provide an early indication of some of the factors affecting the integration of DfRem into the design process.