The business case for remanufacturing is in place: now all that’s required is for businesses themselves to get serious about remanufacturing
It used to be said that ‘nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM’. The computer giant was seen by senior managers as a safe, reliable option. You couldn’t be blamed for going with IBM – even if things went wrong. Choosing a less well-established brand, on the other hand, carried an inherent risk. An updated version of that maxim might be ‘nobody ever got fired for choosing new’. We all know (and policy makers agree) that remanufactured products are, for a variety of reasons, as good as – if not better than – new ones. However, the wider public has yet to be convinced.
Remanufacturing is a well-kept secret. This is why there is great news for IT remanufacturers in the shape of an academic study which found that reman laptops performed well compared with new models. These findings should give procurement managers all over the world pause for thought, especially given the favourable price differential. Why do you need to replace your three-year old computers with expensive new units when reman ones can do more or less the same job for perhaps half the price? The business case is good – now all that’s needed are role models in the corporate world to make it a reality, says Mark Jolly (p16). He’s right – and that goes for reman in every other sector as well. By the way, ReMaTec has its own research to share too. Starting on p12 we reveal for
the first time some results from our exclusive survey, in partnership with management consultancy Kemény Boehme & Company, on the industry. You’ll find plenty to keep you occupied there, including some insightful thoughts on the future, and there is more at this page.
As you would expect, ReMaTecNews also remains true to its international remit in this issue: we look at why the time is right for marine reman in Malaysia (p22), investigate a core logistics pilot in Scotland (p24), examine what the circular economy has to offer emerging markets (p26) and get the lowdown on this year’s challenges for reman in North America (p19). For such a well-kept secret,
remanufacturing certainly has quite a reach. Perhaps it’s time to make some more noise.
