Purchasing Operations at Digital’s Computer Asset Recovery Facility

This chapter discusses the purchasing relationships between a demanufacturing operation, its customers, and suppliers. It describes the digital equipment corporation America's Material Recovery Organisation (AMRO) that will be the specific demanufacturing operation where various green purchasing and logistics practices. The chapter identifies a number of characteristics of a disassembly and demanufacturing organisation. These corporate environmental and operational characteristics have implications for both the purchasing and logistics functions. The chapter focuses not only on material purchasing operations, but also how customers' purchasing practices may be influenced by AMRO. Evidence will show that multifunctional input is critical to the green purchasing and logistics dimensions of the organisation. Purchasing and logistics functions are the engines that allow materials to flow through an organisation. The AMRO facility serves two major functions: as a warehouse for returned and excess equipment, and also as a materials recovery facility. Purchasing and the remaining functions within AMRO are primarily focused on managing a reverse logistics function.