The Fleet Business Authority
Issue link: http://heavydutytrucking.epubxp.com/i/236631
The Reman Automotive Matrix (RAM) is used by CTDI to test advanced electronic components. Electronic reman T he remanufacturing of electronic components is a growing area of remanufacturing, but the reman procedure is different, according to Mark Shasteen, vice president of automotive for CTDI. "Fundamentally you don't take them apart until you've done a pre-screen, and after that all parts of the unit stay together throughout the whole remanufacturing process." In most remanufacturing, a component can be reassembled with parts others than those originally on it. "With electronic remanufacturing, it's a little more like a visit to the doctor," he says."You go in, the doctor runs a battery of tests to determine what is wrong, but he doesn't take the patient's arms and legs off. Rather he deals with the one whole body as a unit. It stays together and maintains its identity and integrity throughout the whole process." •••• Authorized team A bout six months ago, Eaton Corp. took a different approach to its remanufacturing program and added Authorized Rebuilders to its offering. "The whole concept behind the program was to try to leverage the strength companies have out there in the local market, which includes availability of the product and the ability to take cores out of the equation for the fleet by picking them up at the same time they are dropping off finished products," says William Fouch, marketing manager for aftermarket transmissions, Eaton Corp. Authorized Rebuilders are required to follow Eaton's processes including using 100% genuine Eaton components, and building to specifications including packaging and paint. Current Authorized Rebuilders are Power Train, Indianapolis; TransAxle, Cinnaminson, N.J.; and Valley Truck Parts, Grand Rapids, Mich. Eaton plans to add more Authorized Rebuilders in the U.S and Canada in 2014. 48 HDT • JANUARY 2014 reapply paint to avoid rust. Since brakes are safety components, fleets should rely on a source they know is checking all the critical aspects of the shoes and linings." In the case of electronic parts, reman sometimes is the only viable option, according to Mark Shasteen, vice president of automotive for CTDI. "It is becoming harder and harder to get replacement electrical parts. [Fleets] are keeping their vehicles longer and technology is turning over at a quicker pace. The component suppliers simply can't keep making the old parts in order to service older vehicles." "If you can't properly manage cores and get all of your core credit, you are going to come up behind on reman parts vs. new." – Doug Wolma, Meritor Managing cores For all the benefits of remanufactured components, cores are one negative fleets point to as a reason not to choose reman. Core management can present some obstacles, but cores are a key part of the reman value proposition. "If you cannot or don't have the capacity or resources to manage cores and return them to the supplier, then it doesn't make sense to use them," Wolma says. "If you can't properly manage cores and get all of your core credit, you are going to come up behind on reman parts vs. new." However, Wolma does not believe that core management is difficult. All significant suppliers of remanufactured components offer training on proper core management to any customer who asks for it, he adds. Dave Schultz, director of marketing and strategic planning for Eaton, points out that "even though a fleet says it doesn't want to deal with cores, it still has some level of responsibility for disposing of the old product. Things like air dryers and compressors have oil inside them, and that is considered a hazardous waste. There is a cost associated with disposing of that properly. In a sense, it is much easier to just return the component back to the remanufacturer and let them use it." In the final analysis, while remanufactured parts are not a panacea, they "provide a high quality alternative to a fleet so they don't have the expense of a new component. In this day and age, everybody is watching their bottom line, and if fleets are looking for alternatives that save costs, remanufactured products provide that," ■ Schultz says. www.truckinginfo.com