As one of the first dealers to engage in the practice of rebuilding components and exchanging parts after WWII, Finning has led the way in remanufacturing. Today, we continue to be a remanufacturing leader, not only contributing to extended machine life and cost savings for our customers but also significantly reducing our environmental impact.
“We need to think of our resources as circular, rather than linear because raw materials are finite,” says Joel Harrod, senior vice-president of power systems and supply chain. “When we think about the circular economy, we focus on how we can reuse materials, save energy, reduce emissions and water consumption and keep materials out of the landfill to reduce our impact on the environment. And that’s what we are doing with our remanufacturing process. It is a huge part of helping us build a sustainable future.”
Finning created the Exchange Program foreseeing the need to provide customers with an alternative to new parts. The remanufacturing process started with rebuilding electrical, fuel injection and undercarriage components, but with the opening of OEM Remanufacturing, it has evolved to encompass the remanufacturing of engines, powertrain components, cylinders, and expanded mining products.
“In 2019, we diverted over 25 million lbs. of metal from the landfill,” says Laura Watkins, director of remanufacturing and undercarriage for OEM. “That is comparable to the weight of thirty-four 737 airplanes. Not only are we reducing our environmental footprint by reusing, salvaging, rebuilding and recycling parts, we are also saving customers money and providing them a remanufactured component that works like new.”
When a used component comes in from a customer, the team dissembles it to its piece parts which are then inspected for reusability, salvaged, joined with new parts and reassembled to a like-new condition. Before leaving the warehouse, the products undergo vigorous testing to meet the highest standards. Staying on top of technology is key to extending and improving the life of a rebuilt part to get better quality and performance out of the component.
“The increased efficiencies and gains due to the remanufacturing process are keeping pace with technological advancements,” says Watkins. “Today, we can rebuild an engine seven or eight times, giving it up to a 25-year life span. And in the past decade, our remanufacturing process has increased the 797B engine’s life expectancy by 50 per cent. Customers can trust that when they purchase a remanufactured part from OEM, they are getting the best value out of their investment both economically and environmentally.”
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