What is Remanufacturing?

Remanufacturing is the process of returning a used product to at least its original performance with a warranty that is equivalent to or better than that of the newly manufactured product. From a customer viewpoint, the remanufactured product can be considered the same as a new product. It involves dismantling the product, restoring and replacing components and testing the individual parts and whole product to ensure that it is within its origin design specifications. Performance after remanufacture is expected to be at least to the original performance specifications.

Remanufacturing has a long history in the UK, across the whole range of industrial sectors. In most cases remanufacturing businesses have been grown in response to a business opportunity, not driven by an altruistic 'green' mission. Mostly they are producers of durable (usually metal) manufactured assemblies. The inherent value of the materials and the cost of production enable this equipment to be remanufactured to an as-new condition. This process saves tens of millions of tonnes of materials world wide, can make more profit than new equipment and is lower cost to the end user.