Aftermarket November 2022

50 AFTERMARKET NOVEMBER 2022 REMANUFACTURED COMPONENTS R od Bennett, Operations Manager at the Federation of Engine Remanufacturers (FER), said: “Against the backdrop of the cost-of- living crisis and ongoing concerns around environmental protections, the subject of remanufacturing is back in the spotlight, which offers environmental benefits, and significant cost savings against building brand new parts. As the cost-of-living crisis grips all businesses across the UK economy it’s easy to see why garages, bodyshops and motorists will be wary about spending. With this in mind, it’s important to remember that remanufactured components offer significant cost savings over brand-new OE-sourced products, and also means the vehicle will be sustainably maintained and ultimately kept road worthy.” Standardised It is also environmentally friendly. Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) Europe figures indicate that remanufacturing saves millions of tons of carbon equivalent emissions, 85% of raw materials and 55% of energy compared with new production. Rod continued: “Remanufacturing is a standardised process where car parts are effectively rebuilt to a standard equal to or greater than the original manufacturer specification. With technology in modern-day passenger cars advancing at speed, FER has taken steps to ensure its members are a step ahead of hybrid powertrain applications and their ramifications for engine wear and rebuilding. Given that modern hybrid vehicles still use a conventional piston engine, hybrid applications can apply considerable additional stresses and loads. The materials within the Find out how parts are being put back to good use, and what advantages remanufactured components offer engine suffer from more wear and tear, as a result causing more work for engine builders.” Rod added: “FER has launched a programme of training sessions at various technical colleges to host engine remanufacturers and help them stay ahead of the curve.” Costs and environment Commenting on where remanufacturing sits, ACtronics COO Thijs Jasink commented: “It’s not easy to satisfy customers these days. A service or product needs to be low cost, high quality, fast delivered, and they’ll only spend money when it’s absolutely necessary, especially in this challenging time. Motorists aren’t different in any way on these matters. And on top of that vehicle technology isn’t getting easier to work with as well. So how do you keep up with those demands as a modern garage? Remanufacturing might help you out a bit.” He continued: “Let’s start with stating the obvious: Recycling will always be better for the environment than using a new part and throwing away the old one. But you still want the same reliability as a new part, right? Well, that’s were remanufacturing comes into play. It offers great quality, but at a massively reduced cost. Remanufacturing partners will always include a decent warranty period as well. This is actually a great sales pitch towards customers: It’s a cheap, reliable and a green solution. They’ll be interested for sure if you’ll explain them the following facts. “Taking modern vehicle technology into consideration, remanufacturing makes even more sense. Most electronic OEM parts are coded and programmed to the vehicle these days, making it very difficult to replace a part in a matter of minutes. You’ll need the right programming tools for each Above: Old core pending remanufacturing at Shaftec COSTING IT ALL UP