Reverse Logistics Association

Reverse Logistics Research Survey

Reverse Logistics Association is sponsoring a study with San Jose State University on “Reverse Logistics”.

Your assistance is critical to understanding reverse logistics outsourcing, in-house practices and most commonly used reverse logistics channels by OEM/ODM, Branded Companies & 3PSPs. Please complete the online questionnaire by filling in the short form below. You will be entered into a drawing for one of 3 portable DVD players. All those who complete the survey will also receive a copy of the results when the survey data is compiled.

All personal and company information will be kept strictly confidential. No company data will be identified.

We sincerely appreciate your help in filling out this questionnaire. Your rapid response is critical to completing this research.

Contact Information

Title:

Company Name:

Contact Name:

Division or Business Unit:

Street Address:

Street Address 2:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Country:

Telephone Number:

Fax Number:

E-mail Address:

Gross Sales

What were the annual gross dollar sales of your business during the most recent fiscal year?

Number of Employees

How many people do you currently employ at this facility?:

Channel Positions

In which of the following channel positions do you operate? (Check all that apply)

Supplier

Manufacturer

Distributor

Wholesaler

Retailer

Other 3rd Party Service Provider

Specify:

Product Categories

Which product category does your company manufacture/resell? (Check all that apply)

Household Appliances

Computers and Peripherals

Cellular Phones and mobile equipment

Audio/Video Systems

Medical Equipment

Office Products (supplies, electronics)

Semiconductor

Food

Automotive

General Merchandise

Building, Garden Supplies

Hardware Materials

Apparel and Accessories

Drugs / Health

Magazine / Book Publishing

Catalogue Merchandise

Plastic Products

Other

Specify:

Number of Products Sold

Please specify total number of products manufactured / resold / offered by your company across all product lines:

Product Life

How long is the product life cycle of your products? (Check all that apply)

Less than 3 months

3-6 months

6-12 months

12-18 months

18 months - 2 years

2-3 years

3-5 years

More than 5 years

Percentage of Products Returned

What is the percentage of products return per year across all product lines?:

Reasons for Returns

What are the typical reasons customers give while returning the product? (Check all that apply)

Missing Parts

Unsatisfied with performance

Different than expected

Not functioning

Damaged

Didn't want the product

Found better competitive product replacement

Late delivery

No Reason

Other

Specify:

Returns without Problems

Out of the returned products what is the percentage of the products that have no problems?:

Company Action on Returns

What actions do you take when a product with no problems is returned? (Check all that apply)

Resell as is

Repack and sell

Reuse the parts/components

Return to the vendor

Sell in secondary market

Dispose / landfill

Other

Specify:

Logistics Costs

What is the cost of your forward logistics as a percentage of net sales?

In 2002:

In 2003:

What is the cost of your reverse logistics as a percentage of net sales?

In 2002:

In 2003:

Location of Reverse Logistics Activities

At present, which of the following reverse logistics activities does your company perform in-house, and which have been outsourced to a 3rd Party Service Provider?

Reverse Logistics Activites	In-House	Third Party
Helpdesk / Call Center
Collection / Sorting / Testing
Transportation and distribution
Warehousing / Storage
Depot Repair
Replacement Management
Remanufacture / Refurbishment
End-of-life Manufacturing
Recycling / Full Disposal
Returns Authorization Management
Fulfillment and Kitting Companies
Spare Parts Management
Asset Management & Extended Service Contracts
Redistribution / Resale
IT Management

Which of the following reverse logistics activities is your company planning to perform in-house or planning to outsource to a 3rd Party Service Provider in the next two years?

Reverse Logistics Activites	In-House	Third Party
Helpdesk / Call Center
Collection / Sorting / Testing
Transportation and distribution
Warehousing / Storage
Depot Repair
Replacement Management
Remanufacture / Refurbishment
End-of-life Manufacturing
Recycling / Full Disposal
Returns Authorization Management
Fulfillment and Kitting Companies
Spare Parts Management
Asset Management & Extended Service Contracts
Redistribution / Resale
IT Management

Outsourcing Considerations

Which factors are most important in deciding between in-house or outsourcing reverse logistics? Please rank the follow criteria; 1 is the most important.

Number of products offered by the company to customers

Characteristics of these products (sales volume, product life cycle)

Return volume (# of products returned)

Cost of reverse logistics

Focus on core business activities

Wants to own forward and reverse supply chain

Return processing time / customer service cycle time

Return policy

Designed to handle reverse logistics/return process

Risk and control over the reverse logistics chain

Difficulty in handling returns

Sophisticated IT software to improve return process

Collaboration between parties involved in reverse supply chain

Which factors are most important in choosing a 3rd Party Service Provider? Please rank the following criteria; 1 is the most important.

Expertise of 3rd Party Service Provider

Type of services offered

Price of services

Business processes, supply chain, logistics

Facility capacity/capability

Number of employees at facility

Employee training schedule

Type of repair technology practiced

Global presence for support

Type of IT software used

Packaging and Storage

Discussion Questions

How do you measure performance of a 3rd Party Service Provider? Specify factors (e.g. receipts, repairs, or turnaround time) and discuss.:

What problems have you faced in outsourcing reverse logistics? Specify and discuss.:

What problems have you faced in managing reverse logistics in-house? Specify and discuss.:

Cost Factors

What are the cost factors that contribute to your total reverse logistics cost? (Check all that apply.)

Process cost (includes collection, transportation, storage, etc.) per year:

IT cost / year:

Facility cost / year:

Facility employee cost / year:

Follow Up

Would you participate in a short telephone follow-up interview?