Proactive remanufacturing is the process of preparing for a product’s service cycle prior to product failure. That means, by working directly with an OEM during manufacturing, remanufacturers can gain a solid understanding of a product, have access to the correct network for parts procurement, and have the necessary processes in place well before the need for service presents itself. Similar to the concept of proactive health care, or perhaps preparing for a natural disaster, making the right preparations before emergencies hit ensures smoother processes, better availability of resources, a reduction in total costs, and a significant reduction in negative impacts.
Proactive remanufacturing speeds up product repair and services for OEMs. Without long term planning, it is possible that a product can arrive at a remanufacturing service center only to find the parts to support the product are obsolete or no longer available for purchase. In these instances, forming a remanufacturing plan becomes challenging, and even impossible depending on the severity of the situation. By preparing for inevitable failures ahead of time, service centers and OEMs can avoid these tough situations down the road. This is proactive remanufacturing.
Building Remanufacturing Plans Into RFQ
By partnering with a remanufacturing center from the start, OEMs can plan the cost of future remanufacturing services and build those plans into the quote when initially quoting the product to the customer. By planning product service ahead of time, OEMs can avoid the hassle of sourcing a reputable service center down the line when part availability becomes scarce, cost for repair is high, and reputations are on the line. Not to mention, allowing a remanufacturing partner to learn the product from concept to production eases the process of developing a remanufacturing plan when a crisis is already underway.
Why It’s Important to Think About Remanufacturing BEFORE You Need It
By the time a product is ready for servicing, chances are the OEM has already shifted focus to developing new technologies. Retooling a production line and ramping up production for an older product is a possible, but costly solution that takes away from developing new technologies. If OEMs wait too long to consider remanufacturing, they often run into the issue of a lack of parts, components, and schematics availability, making it challenging to support a remanufacturing process and resulting in a premature end-of-life for a product.
As a solution to meeting future product demands when resources become scarce, OEMs will often execute a lifetime buy, which is the purchase of enough product to last through the estimated demand. Unfortunately, a lifetime buy is not always the perfect solution as it can either result in too much product, taking up precious inventory space before it is eventually thrown out, or too little product and not enough to sustain the product’s lifecycle. Both instances are costly, making improperly projected lifetime buys a risky decision.
By partnering with a remanufacturing center ahead of time, OEMs can rely on professionals experienced in product lifecycle support to handle service planning, and more accurately project what's needed with a lifetime buy. An OEM Remanufacturing Service Center’s role is to support the OEM with current product, so OEMs can focus on developing new technologies, and continue to deliver innovative products.
Knowing Your Partners
Identifying your reman partner and building a relationship ahead of time can greatly impact productivity and significantly reduce downtime and resource constraints in the future.
With proactive remanufacturing in mind, an experienced remanufacturing partner can work with an OEM step-by-step to determine the best course of action for PLM. That means your remanufacturing partner knows the ins and outs of your technology, and is fully aware of the processes to execute a repair, reflash, upload new software, reprogram, recalibrate, or whatever your product requires.
Finding an experienced service center that can mold to fit your needs, offering tailored solutions while upholding your reputation and brand is imperative to a successful relationship. Understanding your partner’s operation, level of professionalism, quality of service, and areas of expertise will indicate if a service center is right for you. After all, a service center is a direct reflection of the OEM for which it serves. Rushing to select a remanufacturing partner just to get the job done may have damaging implications, so it is prudent to select a remanufacturer that understands the unique requirements of your business and customer relationships.
