Remanufacturing's Environmental Edge [Infographic]

Remanufacturing History

Every year millions of tons of automotive parts are pulled from cars and cycled back into the supply chain as remanufactured auto parts or sold off as recycled raw materials. This practice has been going on since the 1940's and onset of WWII when automotive suppliers began recycling automotive and truck parts to support the war effort. Natural resources were scarce during wartime, and many of the resources we did have in the U.S.A. were going to the war effort to build planes, ships, tanks, and so on. 

Advantages of Remanufacturing

The advantage of remanufacturing is best explained in the book The American Edge: Leveraging Manufacturing's Hidden Assets by Professor Robert T. Lund. Lund says that: "Remanufacturing differs from recycling also, most importantly because it makes a much greater economic contribution per unit of product than does recycling." (1)

Remanufacturing used parts has met the demand for quality replacements for defective auto parts since WWII. Reintroducing used auto parts back into the supply chain has become a global business supporting more than just the military industrial complex. Every-day garages and small shops purchase remanufactured parts from suppliers such as AutoECMs to get their customers back on the road. 

As a remanufacturer AutoECMs finds cores that will be used in the remanufacturing process and assess them as needed for their functionality. Unusable parts and raw materials are collected and transported to recycling centers which specialize in their disposal. Usable parts are remanufactured for consumers such as yourself.

The Life Cycle of an Auto Computer

This infographic on the Life Cycle of an Auto Computer shows the path an electronic control module takes before it gets to the consumer as a remanufactured auto part. When a car is ready to be taken off the road its usable parts are recycled either into Raw Materials or Usable Parts. Auto Computers are a highly sought after component and often pulled out of cars to be remanufactured and re-sold.

The benefits of remanufacturing create a win/win situation for the environment and the automotive repair industry. Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association outlines the benefits of remanufacturing in 4 key points below:

1. Energy Conservation: Automotive and truck parts are kept out of the resmelting process longer because of remanufacturing. As a result, millions of barrels of oil or comparable forms of energy are saved.
2. Raw Material Conservation: Remanufacturing gives a product numerous lives instead of just one, thereby saving on raw materials. Rebuilders annually save millions of tons of natural resources such as iron, aluminum, copper, by warehousing used parts and putting them back into service.
3. Landfill Space Conservation: Landfills are spared from the dumping of of millions of tons of iron, aluminum, copper, etc., because of the monetary value the industry places on parts. The core charge AutoECMs charges ensures parts are returned to be recycled and reused.
4. Air Pollution Reduction: Keeping parts out of the resmelting process benefits the environment by reducing the air pollution that is generated by resmelting. (2)

With an aging vehicle, electronic parts become obsolete very quickly. Remanufacturing is often the only way to provide replacement parts for older vehicles thus keeping them on the road longer than would be expected. By selling remanufactured parts, AutoECMs sustains aged vehicles and helps keep them out of landfills.

AutoECMs is mindful of the environment by:

1. Providing consumers the opportunity to purchase remanufactured auto computers.
2. Recycling the bulk of our paper products with the local waste management facilities.
3. Re-using viable plastic and paper goods where possible in shipping.
4. Sizing to fit product packaging to cut down on empty space used during shipping.
5. Recycling metal components, such as brackets, not needed by the end consumer.

AutoECMs is committed to keeping a small environmental footprint where possible.

Our goal is to tread lightly on the environment while providing a sustainable solution to the automotive industry.

AutoECMs is a proud member of APRA: Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association

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Website: www.autoecmstore.com
Phone: 800.900.0194
Email: info@autoecms.com

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References: 

1) http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Qu-Sm/Remanufacturing.html

2) http://www.apra.org/remanufacturing/

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