Current Situation in Cleaning Process of Remanufacturing in Malaysia: A Case Study

Abstract

Remanufacturing process among industries is relatively new in Malaysia. In USA, Europe, Japan, China and India, remanufacturing is already viewed as a huge business opportunity that significantly stimulates growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment. The aim of this paper is to expose all possible causes of failures using the Ishikawa diagram and identify the most significant failures using Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) with two Risk Priority Number (RPNs). The cleaning process is both time-consuming as well as the most costly of the entire remanufacturing processes. The case study is performed in an automotive contract remanufacturing environment in Malaysia, specifically the remanufacturing of cylinder heads. This work outcome explores the current situation pertaining to the cleaning process in a real world situation, and attempts to promote among researchers green ideas that will bring Malaysias remanufacturing on par with that of other developed countries.