Closed loop supply chain in printing operation

Abstract

There is a clear change in focus in large companies, previously dedicated primarily to the production of physical goods, toward offering complimentary services and changing their focus toward more service-oriented businesses, in order to increase their competitiveness. At the same time, companies are facing increasing product returns due to various reasons leading to reverse logistics practices and toward the introduction of a Closed Loop Supply Chain management perspective. The purpose of this work is to identify, using a case study in the printing industry,  specific characteristics, regarding product returns, both in a product-oriented and a service-oriented operation. Furthermore, the current work performs a diagnosis of current practices applications of CLSC models in the two operating models. The paper concludes that indeed there are relevant differences in managing the CLSC for each case and identify the main gaps for each operation.