Manufacturing products with end-of-life considerations: an economic assessment to the routes of revenue generation from mature products

This paper presents improved models of the economics of the options that can be taken at the end of the first life of a product. The options of resale, remanufacture, upgrade, recycling, and scrap were examined. These option models are compared with current commercial data and this comparison is used to generate empirical constants for elements of each model. These combined empirical and analytical models are then used to explore the economics of mixed end-of-life strategies for mature electronics products. The limitations of the models with respect to high value add and upgrade are explored.