Remanufacturing of flat screen monitors

The remarketing of used flat screen desktop monitors is evolving into a profitable market segment. Demand for used or non-functional monitors is growing especially in Eastern European nations and cannot be covered by End-of-Life (EoL) products, yet. Non-functional phase-out models are often sold to repair shops in Eastern European countries, which is often associated with improper EoL treatment of non-reusable components. To avoid negative environmental impacts caused by today's practice in demand markets with slack environmental regulations, remanufacturing must start at the returned product's origin. This paper discusses economical, technological and environmental aspects in remanufacturing of flat screen monitors. Legal recycling requirements for the monitor's components are described. Applying Method Time Measurement, a disassembly study is conducted for selected monitor models. Based on the results quality classes are defined for reusable components. Remanufacturing challenges in collection, testing, disassembly, and program planning are identified, and a prototypical hybrid disassembly system is presented.