Digitization is the challenge of the future

Remanufacturers make an important contribution to achieving the CO2 reduction targets that the European Commission is striving for with the “Green Deal”. This is borne out by figures presented by the European Association of Aftermarket Suppliers (CLEPA) on occasion of this year's Aftermarket Conference. One of the guest speakers at the virtual event was Jesper Møberg, Business Development Director at BORG Automotive. His thesis: Digitization is increasingly becoming a touchstone for remanufacturers.

The circular economy in the aftermarket works. According to a study that CLEPA carried out together with the consulting firm Oakdene Hollins* and presented at the virtual Aftermarket Conference at the end of October, remanufacturing saved more than 800 kt CO2 in 2020, an amount equal to the annual carbon emissions of 120,000 EU citizens.

At the same time, remanufacturing is becoming more complex. Jesper Møberg explains: “It is not so much the reduction of components in the power train associated with electrification that will pose challenges for remanufacturers in the future. Even if the power train requires less components, other parts will be applied, which can be remanufactured  – such as electric coolant pumps, batteries, PTC heaters and inverters. Rather, the challenge lies in keeping up with digitization.”

In fact, many spare parts that used to work purely mechanically are already communicating with the engine control system via communication protocols. Just a few years ago, electronic parking brakes were a niche application. Today they are considered the standard. The same applies to steering gears, air conditioning compressors, EGR valves and much more.

Jesper Møberg explains: “We recognized the trend early on and developed a profound know-how. Today we are able, among other things, to decode communication protocols such as CAN or FlexRay – a basic requirement if you want to remanufacture electronically controlled components. We are working continuously to ensure our contribution to climate protection in the future as well."

^{* Find the full article here.}