Technical aid centers (TACs) in Norway supply devices, such as wheelchairs
and hearing aids, to people with handicaps. When a device is returned to a
TAG, the TAC staff must decide whether to scrap it or to refurbish it so th
at it: can be used again. The Norwegian National Insurance Administration (
NNIA) found that decision makers were scrapping units too frequently, basin
g their decisions mainly on the hours of labor required to refurbish. We de
veloped a more complete decision-support-system model that accounts for the
full cost of sending a unit to the landfill, the cost of refurbishing, the
value of parts that can be used elsewhere, the benefits of refurbishing, a
nd so on. Our model is quite simple and visual. Early results suggest that
acceptance has been widespread and that decisions have changed, leading to
fewer units being scrapped and more being refurbished for redistribution.