Remanufacturing can extend the product life cycle, reduce material and energy consumption, and lower waste generation and costs. In contrast to refurbishing, which involves restoring an old machine to an almost-like-new state and fixes minor issues, with remanufacturing worn parts are restored to a condition that is equivalent or superior to the original in terms of quality, performance, and functionality.
“This is what we do in die casting at our workshops in Brescia in Italy, Michigan in the US, and Wuxi in China,” says Staeger. “We take the machine completely apart, inspect all the components, clean them, possibly replace some, reassemble it, and sometimes also improve the control system.”
What threatened to become a hunk of scrap metal is working again, playing its part in the overall system. But more than that, process steps are automated and the machine from yesteryear is brought into the digital era. It can communicate with the machines around it and with you, providing data insights and transparency to support your decision-making and action-taking. It enables you to do things quicker, smarter, and with a more consistent quality.