Part number proliferation and technology are the
two main factors which will support the future
growth of reman, according to UK company
Autoelectro. Nick Hood, UK sales manager at
the Bradford-based remanufacturer of starter
motors and alternators, insists reman will
remain a cost-effective option. “Part number
proliferation makes it harder to introduce
new parts as the production run or batch
size is smaller,” he suggests. “As a result,
remanufacturing cores enables a supplier to
introduce a part to range faster, as there is no
minimum batch size required and is, therefore,
sustainable if the volume remains low.”
He
cites the case of the Ford Transit, which in
2006 was specified with only one starter motor
reference. This resulted in high volumes and
high batch sizes for new manufacture – yet by
2011 four starter motor options were available,
thus reducing batch sizes and splitting volumes.
“Will a supplier of new units introduce all four?”
Hood continues. “Is making four lower batch
size variants commercially viable for the tooling
and production costs of new units, if most of the
volume centres around two parts?”
