Xu Sun

Xu Sun disputerer for ph.d.-graden i ingeniørvitenskap og vil offentlig forsvare avhandlingen / Xu Sun will defend her thesis for the PhD degree in Engineering Science:

“A Decision-Support Framework for Smart and Sustainable Reverse Logistics Network Design”

Avhandlingen er tilgjengelig her / The doctoral thesis is available here.

Auditoriet er åpent for publikum. Disputasen vil også bli strømmet. Opptak av disputasen vil være tilgjengelig i en måned.
The auditorium is open to the public. The defense will be streamed. A recording of the defense will be available for one month.

Prøveforelesningen starter kl. 10:15 / The trial lecture starts at 10:15. Tittel / title:

“What are the future requirements for reverse logistics supporting the Ecodesign for sustainable products according to EU regulations”

Disputasen starter kl. 12:15 / The defense starts at 12:15.

Prøveforelesning og disputas strømmes her / The trial lecture and defense will be streamed here.

Sammendrag av avhandlingen / Summary of the thesis:

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, namely Industry 4.0, has provided opportunities for digitalization and paradigm shifts in many industries and business sectors. Reverse logistics is currently being increasingly focused on by worldwide companies and governments due to the pressure on sustainable development and circular economy. Through the gradual but steady adoption of several disruptive technologies in Industry 4.0, the traditional reverse logistics operations will be dramatically improved with the increasing use of the internet of things (IoT), cyber-physical systems (CPS), artificial intelligence (AI), digital twin, smart robots and machines, etc., which may eventually lead to a smart and sustainable transformation of Reverse Logistics 4.0. However, there is a lack of a systematic analysis of the impacts of these Industry 4.0 technologies on reverse logistics. Moreover, the adoption of new technologies will further complicate the reverse logistics network design at the initial stage, which involves many stakeholders with often contradictive objectives. To fill these gaps, this Ph.D. project first presents a comprehensive literature review and conceptualization of Reverse Logistics 4.0 in order to provide a holistic and systematic analysis of the implications of disruptive technologies and Industry 4.0 for smart and sustainable reverse logistics transformation. Based on the conceptualization, an improved two-level decision-support framework, which combines both multi-objective optimization and dynamic simulation, is proposed to better help with robust strategic decisions under high dynamicity and uncertainty. The methodological integration leads to the development of a conceptual framework for the digital reverse logistics twin. It represents a high level of methodological and system integration that can potentially connect the physical system and data with various analytical models for both proactive and real-time decision supports in reverse logistics management. Finally, this Ph.D. project presents several managerial implications and research implications for both industrial practitioners and academic researchers.

Veiledere / Supervisors:
Hovedveileder / Main supervisor:
Professor Wei Deng Solvang, Department of Industrial Engineering, UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
Medveileder / Co-supervisor:
Associate Professor Jan-Arne Pettersen, Department of Industrial Engineering, UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

Bedømmelseskomité / Evaluation committee:
Professor Kenn Steger-Jensen, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Aalborg University (first opponent),
Professor Yasel Jose Costa Salas, MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program, Zaragoza Logistics Center (second opponent),
Dr. Diana Santalova Thordarson, Department of Industrial Engineering, UiT The Arctic University of Norway (leader of the committee)

Prøveforelesning og disputas ledes av prodekan for forskning, Svein-Erik Sveen / The trial lecture and defense is led by Vice Dean of research, Svein-Erik Sveen.

De som ønsker å opponere ex auditorio kan sende e-post til Svein-Erik Sveen / Opponents ex auditorio should contact Svein-Erik Sveen.

When: 06.10.22 at 10.15–16.00
Where: Auditorium 1
Location / Campus: Digital, Narvik
Target group: Employees, Students, Guests, Invited
Contact: Audun Reigstad
E-mail: audun.reigstad@uit.no
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