ERN announces Digital Toolkit

The European Remanufacturing Network announced that it has gathered knowledge and expertise from Europe’s innovative remanufacturers in ERN’s Digital Toolkit.

The toolkit is organized around three main themes within the remanufacturing industry: Product Design, Business Models and Processes. It aims to provide companies and key industry stakeholders with real world examples of how European remanufacturers are implementing remanufacturing strategies and creating new business opportunities while having a positive impact on the environment. The ERN digital toolkit offers the opportunity to filter case studies and practical examples based on how different remanufacturing companies are maintaining their businesses. These examples range from how remanufacturing can impact product design to how it can improve processes to be more efficient.

Product Design

From healthcare equipment to office furniture, remanufacturing companies can save costs on remanufacturing processes and make remanufacturing a more profitable business by designing products to be remanufactured from the start.

Business Models

Remanufacturing companies have different ways of organizing their businesses depending on what kind of remanufacturer they are. They can vary from an original equipment manufacturer, who also takes on the role as remanufacturer once the product is no longer needed by the consumer, to independent remanufacturer, that places remanufacturing others products at the heart of their business.

Processes

Sharing best practices and state of the art knowledge and experience regarding remanufacturing processes is key to the success of remanufacturing companies. The ERN Digital Toolkit highlights various methods which can be applied to optimize remanufacturing processes and gain further efficiency.

Facts about the European Remanufacturing Industry

The manufacturing industry is the largest employment sector and the biggest contributor to the GDP of industrialized nations (34 million people contributing about 14.5% of the total GDP in EU-27 countries) and so can be considered an important driver of their wellbeing and prosperity. It is also a major consumer of material and energy as well as a significant source of waste (about 14% of the 2,652 million tonnes of waste generated in EU-27 countries in 2008).

About the European Remanufacturing Network (ERN)

Unlike in the recycling industry, cross-sectoral activities to facilitate knowledge transfer and promote the remanufacturing industry have been neglected in Europe over recent years. Hence, there is a real need for a European-level solution to encourage remanufacturing throughout Europe. ERN is a European Commission funded 2 year project with the ambition to:

• encourage new businesses to take up remanufacturing
• help existing remanufacturers improve their operations
• improve competitiveness of remanufacturers domestically and internationally
• create greater awareness of remanufacturing in the public
• motivate policy makers to increase demand and address barriers

Central to the success of the project is the engagement with the remanufacturing industry. Participation of remanufacturers in relevant parts of the project will ensure that the outcomes are industry focused and provide the best available information.

To read more and to join the ERN, visit www.remanufacturing.eu/