Remanufacturing is very much on the rise in the automotive aftermarket, but many in the industry perhaps still don’t fully understand the concept. To provide some clarification, leading rotating electrics remanufacturer Autoelectro is spearheading a new campaign to dispel some myths, protect the integrity and celebrate this increasingly important practice.

The company says the first thing is to be clear on is part definitions, which are often confused by both the public and the trade. Components can be;
• New, manufactured or assembled using no pre-used parts
• Reconditioned were its is returned to good condition by cleaning, patching or repairing
• Used with no repairs or correcting of any problems that the product may have sustained
• Repaired, where sufficient work is carried out to make the component operational again

Against these definitions a remanufactured component is the return of a used product to at least its original performance, with a warranty that is equivalent or better than that of the original.

Remanufacturing is on the rise globally and is fast becoming a major economic contributor as well as a driving force in material recovery and emission reduction. It is a multilayer process which can be split into steps covering, Disassembling, Inspecting, Sorting, Cleaning, Reprocessing, Reassembling and Checking and testing.

As remanufacturing experts with over 30 years experience Autoelectro can further enhance this process and often iron out original design flaws. The success of its ISO14000-accredited process has also been recognised with several environmental awards. 
Autoelectro has also kept pace with fast changing technology by investing heavily to stay ahead of the curve by updating the design and operation of its remanufactured starter motors and alternators.  It now offers from stock more than 4,000 individual references that will fit more than 30,000 vehicle applications.

The quality and value combination of Autoelectro remanufactured starters or alternators is exceptional offering "as new performance at an economical price. However, it is often competing with new but inferior quality parts.  Autoelectro Managing Director, Tony Bhogal, say, "We are constantly competing against parts of such poor quality that they cannot be remanufactured when they are returned as old core. We need support from workshops and motor factors, in particular, as the challenges of fast changing technology means you should be selling and fitting the best products possible and not be just price driven.”

Another key benefit of remanufacturing is also pointed out by Autoelectro Uk customer SDL Minorfern. Managing Director, Nick Holland says, "The process of remanufacture enables a faster introduction of new-to-range part numbers and allows for the periphery of the range to be covered, as in contrast to new production, there are no minimum batch sizes or tooling required. With a growing range of vehicles and variety of part numbers, it is quite possibly the only way to cover all applications.”