JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL AND PRODUCTION ENGINEERING, pp.1-25, 2024 (ESCI)
Due to strict governmental regulations, manufacturers have increasingly focused on recovering
end-of-life (EoL) products through disassembly lines, aiming to achieve economic benefits while
addressing the environmental aspects of supply chain sustainability. Disassembly line balancing
(DLB) has become a key challenge for enterprises seeking to perform environmentally conscious
manufacturing as part of a closed-loop supply chain policy. Therefore, designing a sustainable
closed-loop supply chain requires analyzing interrelated problems by focusing on strategic-,
tactical-, and operational-level decisions simultaneously. This study introduces an integrated
problem that addresses multi-manned DLB, lot sizing, and reverse supply chain (RSC) design
problems. To mathematically represent the problem, a generic optimization model is developed
to minimize overall costs, including station opening, inventory holding, shortage, transportation,
and collection center/facility opening costs. This study addresses several research questions to
explore the impact of distribution strategies (centralized and decentralized) on multi-manned
DLB and lot size decisions within the context of reverse supply chain design.