In a guest feature for Professional Motor Factor magazine, David Eszenyi, Ivor Searle’s Commercial Director, examines the eco-friendly advantages of remanufactured products to the automotive aftermarket.
“Originally developed to conserve resources and create employment at the end of World War II, remanufacturing has evolved significantly in the UK. Today, remanufacturing is central to the ‘Circular Economy’ where products are designed to be robust and straightforward to disassemble. This allows them to be remanufactured multiple times, offering both environmental and economic benefits. While remanufacturing is employed across a number of industries such as automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics, they all share the ability to produce a second life product that is equal to the performance of the original.
Covering a range of product areas including rotating electrics, fuel injection and electronics, as well as major units such as engines, gearboxes and turbos, remanufacturing plays a significant role in the automotive aftermarket’ supply chain for replacement components Supported by well-established exchange programmes, remanufacturing also helps to ensure that parts are available for some time after production of a specific vehicle has ended.
Adherence to quality and industry standards are also essential factors in automotive remanufacturing. For example, a remanufactured engine is required to meet a specific standard for it to be described as such under BSI AU 257:2002. This is a British Standard Automobile Series Code of Practice that applies to the remanufacturing of internal combustion engines. The standard fully details the procedures and operations for the remanufacturing of both petrol and diesel engines.
These processes include the detailed inspection and checking of components against manufacturer tolerances. In addition, key parts, including pistons and ring sets, big and small end bearings and bushes, as well as gaskets, seals, timing chains and drive belts, are all required to be renewed, while items, such as tensioners and dampers, are also required to be inspected and replaced if necessary.
As well as saving natural resources, remanufactured products als o offer a much more sustainable solution, as considerably less energy and materials are used in the remanufacturing process. Engines remanufactured by Ivor Searle conserve approximately 55 kilos in core metal and around 85% of the engine’s original components are returned to OEM specification. All waste metals from the process, such as old pistons and swarf produced by machining operations, is also collected for recycling.
Based on our own experience as a well-established supplier to the automotive aftermarket in the UK and overseas, it is clear that awareness of sustainability is gradually increasing, along with an understanding of the environmental advantages of remanufactured components and major units. Although cost, product availability and quality continue to be the main considerations for garages purchasing remanufactured products, it is clear that end-users, including fleet customers and private motorists, will increasingly demand a more sustainable approach to vehicle repairs and maintenance and the parts that are used.”
Comments are closed.