A project to remanufacture transmissions for Volvo Cars has been shown to have distinct environmental benefits, according to academic researchers in Sweden. Scandinavian Transmission Service (STS) remanufactures 3,500 units for the manufacturer every year. Remanufacturing in circular economy: A gearbox example by Pranav Gahane and Mohamad Kaddoura carried out a life cycle assessment of 30 components in a remanufactured and in a newly produced transmission and found that the reman product leads to a 36% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions compared with a newly-manufactured transmission, where the production process requires the use of raw materials such as steel and aluminium.
“The master’s thesis gave us several important answers,” says Gunnar Magnusson, remanufacturing manager at Volvo Cars.
“It was confirmed that our years of investments in remanufacturing has generated many positive environmental effects. It is also interesting that the analysis showed so clearly that a remanufactured and upgraded transmission becomes a more efficient product with reduced environmental impact."
The reman process includes upgrades with new components, leading to fewer emissions from cars.
