A concept of reliability evaluation for reuse and remanufacturing

As reliability is critical to ensure market acceptance and economic feasibility of reused products, this paper proposes a methodology to determine a threshold value of reliability for reuse evaluation. The methodology is novel and can be integrated in some current models for assessing the technical reusability potential. Three different scenarios are outlined representing items that are suitable for reuse, remanufacturing, or recycling. Some trade-offs between warranty cost and remanufacturing cost are also discussed as the implications of threshold selection. The critical part in this methodology is the selection of the reliability level by manufacturers.