Engagement snapshot
- Mandate
- Increase recovery value by reducing delay and inconsistency in returns handling.
- Timeline
- 11 weeks from inspection logic mapping to warehouse rollout.
- Team shape
- Warehouse ops lead, finance analyst, 2 automation engineers, and 4 inspection specialists.
The problem
Returned devices sat too long between inspection, resale, refurbishment, and parts harvesting because disposition decisions were fragmented across teams.
What we built
Created a rules and AI-assisted disposition flow that classified device condition, routed work, and synchronized next steps with inventory and finance systems.
Operating context
The refurbisher already had skilled technicians, but device value leaked while items waited for the right decision. The business needed a workflow that moved units to the correct lane faster and with better cost discipline.
Key constraints
- Device condition assessment included both deterministic tests and technician judgment.
- Inventory and finance systems needed aligned disposition states.
- The workflow had to avoid sending borderline units into the wrong recovery path.
What we built
Condition and value decision layer
Combined inspection signals, historical outcomes, and route rules to suggest the economically sensible next path.
Work-queue orchestration
Moved devices into resale, refurbishment, or parts harvesting queues with clear ownership and timers.
Inventory-finance synchronization
Kept operational disposition states aligned with financial handling and recovery tracking.
Delivery path
Disposition logic design
Mapped how technicians and operations managers currently decided between recovery paths and where delay hurt value.
Warehouse pilot
Tested the workflow on selected device classes to measure queue movement and decision accuracy.
Expansion and monitoring
Rolled out across the broader returns mix with recovery-value monitoring by route.
Why it mattered
The workflow improved revenue by accelerating the right next step. Faster routing meant fewer devices aged in limbo, and technicians spent more time on units that genuinely benefited from hands-on repair.
Implementation notes
- Returns operations gain value when decision latency drops, not just when inspection speed improves.
- Disposition automation must stay tied to economic logic, not only technical condition.
- Inventory and finance synchronization is what makes the recovered value measurable.