Rettifiche 3Gi is a company specializing in engine head grinding and regeneration of engines and engine parts. I am Alice Celegato, the director of Rettifiche 3Gi, which is currently a family-owned business. It was founded and operated for many years by our father, Fidenzio. In the company, my brother Maicol handles the technical-commercial aspect and interacts with customers on a daily basis. Over the years, the company has evolved from traditional reconditioning to become a significant player in the national market. We specialize in engine management, so our core business is dedicated to engines and related assemblies.
Do you specialize in complete engine regeneration?
We specialize in traditional cylinder head grinding and engine regeneration, and we also have a warehouse focused on frequently moved regenerated engines, cylinder heads, DPF filters, and turbos. With this approach, we have been able to provide very fast and high-performance service in terms of quality to workshops and larger customers, who are very sensitive to downtime.
Does your warehouse offer both reconditioned and original spare parts?
Our market positioning is in the aftermarket, not in the OEM market. We do not work for any parent company; we are independent operators. We use brand new parts and components that are certified equivalents to OEM, or directly sourced original parts from dealerships. As a company policy, we do not compromise on quality. We don’t like mediocrity.
What do you mean by mediocrity?
By mediocrity, I mean the willingness to offer something to the market that represents the compromise desired by the customer. Often, customers are very sensitive to factors such as price, and unfortunately, in our line of work, extreme price sensitivity does not lead to a high level of quality. So, it's important to guide the customer, and this is where the expertise of our consultants comes into play in proposing the suitable solution to the customer based on the type of vehicle they own and the problem to be resolved. Furthermore, the added value that customers experience with us is also linked to the fact that, by dealing with a wide variety of cases on a daily basis, we have significant expertise. This allows us to guide them optimally, given that there are different types of engines that present recurring issues. Knowing this and intervening accordingly, sometimes we make technical adjustments or enhancements compared to the original engine configuration.
We've talked about regenerated engines, could you explain precisely how your company operates and considers the regeneration of engines and the related parts that compose them?
The regenerated engine originates from a carcass, meaning a decommissioned engine: the engine block with its head, which has had a previous life, arrives at our company. Once it's here, the engine is disassembled and every component is measured precisely down to the hundredth of a millimetre, a common operation in the regeneration market. These measurements are then compared to the tolerances specified by the original manufacturer of the engine. Finally, a work schedule is drawn up listing all the operations necessary to bring the engine back to factory specifications. The work schedule, which consists of all the head grinding operations, allows us to work on the engine block and the top part of the engine according to specific parameters. This includes the cylinder head. In addition to grinding activities, we also install new components of certified quality equivalent to OE (Original Equipment) or genuine OE parts. It's called "regenerated" because it comes from a product that is out of use and is made reusable through a process of grinding and the replacement of all parts with new components.
Can we consider this approach to regeneration as an added value of your company?
We strongly believe in reconditioned products and consider them the best alternative to new ones. For this reason, we cannot compromise on quality by using used materials. Regenerated valve guides do not exist on the market. You can only install either used or new ones. When we recondition cylinder heads, we decide whether to replace the part based on the tolerances measured or, if the tolerances allow it, to work on the component that has had a previous life. We are fully committed to the circular economy, which has always been a vital aspect of our business.
Can we then say that you are protagonists of the sustainability and near-zero emissions combination?
Yes, I believe that the reconditioning sector has a significant advantage within the broader market trend, not only in the automotive industry but across all sectors. The fact that all brands currently want to boast elements related to environmental sustainability is a trend.
The excellent thing that sets us apart and also represents a leverage point for the regeneration work we do is the fact that we are a company that CANNOT be subject to the phenomenon of GREENWASHING, which is very popular nowadays. We don't need to come up with some fancy concept because the regeneration activity of Rettifiche 3Gi is inherently green, eco-friendly. It's an activity based on the recovery of a carcass that has already had a previous life. Instead of disposal it and getting a new engine, at least the carcass, being a static component, is saved. The grinding and replacement activities that can be performed on the component without lowering the final quality level are carried out, while the rest is replaced with original and/or equivalent OE parts. We believe that there are certain technical principles that determine where it's possible to reuse components and where it's preferable to install new parts inside the engine. The focus should always be on ensuring that a regenerated engine/product can be an alternative to a new engine/product, with the expected quality and uncompromised reliability. At Rettifiche 3Gi, we prefer to install new valves, valve guides, lifters, and rocker arms, and as part of our company policy, we also replace pistons. For example, even though this thought may seem less green at first glance, replacing them with new parts instead of regenerating them provides an additional guarantee for the customer. It allows us to differentiate ourselves from what is often referred to as "reconditioned," a term that is frequently misused in the market. In Italy, we also have the sector of auto wrecking companies that sell reconditioned engines! But what kind of reconditioning can these companies do without engine specialists and without a dedicated grinding division for reconditioning? It is clear that there is a need for clarity on "what is meant by reconditioned," a clarity that the FIR (Italian Association of Qualified Grinders and Mechatronics) in Italy is providing. We have significant technical know-how and experience, and it's crucial to be able to demonstrate this to the market. The market offer is very assorted, and we have engines that cannot be defined as regenerated but are rebuilt or reconditioned engines, where the user purchasing them, whether a workshop or private individual, has no idea what has been changed. They only know that they are purchasing a reconditioned engine. It's a closed box, so to speak. For example, Rettifiche 3Gi does not perform welding or extreme recovery activities, which would certainly allow us to have a higher margin with a lower selling price, but they would incur other costs: reputation, market reliability, ethics. We're talking about a different and higher quality level. I cannot tell you that I'm giving you a reconditioned engine if instead it's a used engine where I haven't done anything, or where I have only replaced 30% of the expected parts, while salvaging everything else!
How do you view the current landscape of remanufacturing and the aftermarket in general?
We are optimistic. We believe that the green trend should be taken seriously. Moreover, by engaging in an activity that inherently respects the circular economy and environmental sustainability, we believe that reconditioning has already reached adequate quality levels but still requires sector innovation.
What are your upcoming events?
For our reference market, which is national, we will be participating in conferences and industry events for 2024 and Autopromotec 2025.
