Supply Chain & Logistics: Switching Channels Offers a Better Way of Managing Returns
"An effective returns management process is required to efficiently collect used and recyclable materials for subsequent lifecycles. Unfortunately, the economics of future material flows will be highly inconsistent with those found in the forward deployment of product. Whereas full pallet-loads of homogeneous (similar) products are distributed in the forward channel, the reverse channel consists of odds and ends that are usually poorly contained and lack the original packaging. This will increase as customer segments diversify around the globe….
"Given their strategic importance, wholly separate channels are often devised for returned goods. Specialized service providers [3PLs] are often called on to support the collection and flow of returned goods."
-- from "Global Macrotrends and their Impact on Supply Chain Management" Chad W. Autry, Thomas J. Goldsby and John E. Bell (FT Press, 2013)
About the Author
Dave Blanchard
Senior Director of Content
Focus: Supply Chain
Call: (941) 208-4370
Follow on Twitter @SupplyChainDave
During his career Dave Blanchard has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeek, EHS Today, Material Handling & Logistics, Logistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. He also serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2010), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its second edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.