Networked RFID systems in product recovery management

Abstract

Product recovery involves collection, sorting and reprocessing of returned products to recover value from them. The management of product recovery is characterised by a high level of uncertainty in product returns flow due to the lack of information associated with such products. A case study exercise carried out at various electronics product recovery industries in Europe supports this widely accepted fact. The recent emergence of networked RFID (radio frequency identification) systems is a means of connecting a product tagged with an RFID chip to a network and thereby carrying complete information associated with it throughout its lifecycle. This paper examines the benefits of information provided by such systems in decision-making during product recovery stages and consequently, in product recovery management as a whole.