Supply networks for WEEE treatment: a case study

The paradigm of sustainable manufacturing equally implies the implementation of new technologies and their proper use within supply networks along product life cycle. In particular, this paper analyses the case of WEEE which requires the configuration of dedicated de/re-production networks to change the state-of-the-art processes thanks to the introduction of new production systems which need to be organized in networks. A modular approach is here proposed to evaluate the impact of each EOL process as an input for creation of what-if scenarios for the network configuration. Using discrete-event simulation it was evaluated how the implementation of innovative de/re-manufacturing centers to re-work materials (for ex. PCBs) arriving from collection centers and from pre-treatment companies can change the configuration in a certain geographical area.