Autoelectro claims winning formula

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?”