The last 3 years she’s become a familiar face in the remanufacturing industry as sales & exhibition manager for Rematec, the leading trade event for remanufacturing. As of today, Yorien de Ruijter succeeds Niels Klarenbeek as director of Rematec at RAI Amsterdam.
Being part of the Rematec team for the last 3 years, Yorien de Ruijter was involved with the organisation of 4 Rematec exhibitions. Two of which were in Amsterdam, one in Las Vegas, USA and the recent launch of Rematec Asia in Guangzhou, China in September 2019. With doing so, she has built an extensive network within the remanufacturing industry and has visited many remanufacturing companies throughout the years.
Remanufacturing top of mind to fulfil sustainable goals
‘’There are positive developments regarding remanufacturing as the circular economy and sustainability have become known to end-consumers nowadays,’’ says de Ruijter. ‘’The demand for sustainable solutions increases, which make remanufacturing a relevant alternative. Sustainable specialists are more and more involved in the design phase of car manufacturing. As a result, remanufacturing is becoming a logical extended phase of the product life cycle.” De Ruijter proceeds, “Unfortunately remanufacturing is still not a standard end-of-life solution. The end-consumer is often not aware that the positive benefits of remanufacturing can help them fulfil their sustainability goals. Remanufacturing needs to become top of mind.”
Strong in establishing valuable connections
Rematec has always been able to emphasise the global developments in the industry and has connected industry professionals to learn from the challenges through knowledge, trade and valuable connections. Both offline – with their exhibitions and at industry meetings – and online with a constant communication flow of Rematec News e-newsletters and social presence. Rematec aims to be a platform where the remanufacturing industry gathers to co-create, co-operate and share knowledge on current problems and potential innovations.
COVID-19 shifts focus due to industry challenges
De Ruijter explains how the current global COVID-19 situation affects her first days on the job as director of Rematec. “It is a strange and difficult time to start this job. Due to COVID-19 many companies are facing difficulties because of a lock-down, which is active in many countries. Cars are not on the road and sales activities are running slow. Economists are warning for a global crisis, but does a crisis necessarily impact the remanufacturing business negatively?” De Ruijter continues, “during the last crisis the remanufacturing industry saw a revenue growth because the demand of cost-saving car parts increased. So, I encourage our industry players to stay strong as there may be light at the end of this tunnel with increased production in sight.”
Communication is key
During this crisis, Rematec is continuously seeking to be active as an online platform to support the market with yearround news, in-depth stories and enabling valuable (online) connections. “Although, the future for many companies is uncertain, it is sure that the remanufacturing industry survives and Rematec continues to support the industry,” says De Ruijter. The first upcoming event of Rematec is the second Rematec Asia, with a focus on the domestic Chinese remanufacturing market. The event will be held from 11-13 October 2020 in Guangzhou, China.
Ambitions to expand further
De Ruijter has ambitions with the Rematec brand as she says, “Rematec is always looking for opportunities to expand. At the moment, Rematec is researching into the expansion in the circular economy circle and in particular the sector of Reuse and Repurpose.” De Ruijter concludes, ‘’I am excited to work with an exceptional team of dedicated professionals – within RAI and in the industry – to mature and grow the Rematec product portfolio and celebrate industry trade and innovation together.”
