Developing A Reverse Logistics Strategy

Source: 2004 APICS International Conference Proceedings.
Copyright © APICS—The Association For Operations Management. Used by permission.

Much has been written about the importance of a company's strategic plan and its impact on the direction and operations of the enterprise. Key drivers behind many strategic plans include:

• increasing profits by developing new products and markets
• improving productivity of systems, processes, and people
• beating the competition to market and providing customer value.

While there are many varieties in the look and feel of strategic plans, the common emphasis is still getting products or services to the customer.

As companies both large and small seek additional sources of profit, look for ways to reduce their environmental impacts, and comply with a growing body of regulations, they may find the most effective method for meeting these goals is by developing a reverse logistics strategy.

About The Author
Jim McNeil is senior manager of distribution systems with Elan Pharmaceuticals, where he manages business process improvement and cross-functional enterprise resources planning (ERP) integration activities.