Remanufacturing explained
Remanufacturing is extending the product’s life span by bringing a defective product to the same standard as it was when it was first manufactured, letting it undergo a process that aims to recover most of the material - without compromising the quality. Though it might sound simple, the reman process is much more comprehensive.
In order to remanufacture automotive parts, used products and their cores need to be retrieved; however, the collection of cores is a complex activity. At CPI, we sell our remanufactured units with a deposit, which is returned to the customers if they send us the unit they are replacing.
The core we are getting in exchange for a remanufactured unit is sent to our core warehouse in Poland, the largest core warehouse in Europe, with more than one million units ready for remanufacturing. Remanufacturing takes place in a large production site optimized for and adapted to the remanufacturing process. A quality assurance program ensures that the right quality levels are met as the units pass through the various remanufacturing processes. At these production sites, the cores undergo the remanufacturing process, which consists of six steps:
[ 1 ] Disassembly: Defective units undergo a complete disassembly process, and parts that cannot be reconditioned are disposed of.
[ 2 ] Cleaning: Following the disassembly of the units into individual parts, they are given a thorough cleaning with several cleaning treatments, such as hot water and sandblasting, ultrasonic cleaning, and more.
[ 3 ] Inspection and sorting: Cleaned components are subject to an intensive inspection to determine if they are in a re-useable condition. This is done both visually and with test equipment, measuring if the tolerances are within the acceptable limits.
[ 4 ] Reconditioning and replacement: At this stage, re-useable parts are reconditioned, for example, through galvanizing and grinding of the parts. Parts that in the previous stages have been disposed of are replaced with new parts.
[ 5 ] Reassembly: The remanufactured units are reassembled.
[ 6 ] Final testing: Each remanufactured unit then undergoes a 100% performance test to ensure that it matches OE standards.