| Reman, Repower, Rebuilt By Damon Carson, Founder and President, repurposedMATERIALS Second life for fl eet maintenance materials Obsolete items to a primary industry get a second productive life A constant battle waged in fl eets today is the clash between the seemingly competing initiatives of profi tability and sustainability. It appears that in this situation, one has to be at the expense of the other. Enter “repurposing.” Th is is a strategy that makes as much sense environmentally as it does economically. Th e concept of repurposing, basically, involves taking an obsolete material or product to its primary industry and fi nding a second life for it in an unrelated industry. A repurpose for a fl eet maintenance operation might be repurposing a roll or two of old, scrap rubber conveyor belting from the mining industry and using it for protective shop fl ooring. Th is can reduce the wear and tear on a shop’s concrete fl oors every time a bulldozer or cleated-wheel landfi ll compactor is driven in. If you’re in the northern U.S., these same rolls of old conveyor belting can be cut to length and installed as a snowplow blade defl ector. Th e used conveyor belting will give equal performance as a purpose-built new defl ector but at half the cost. Ideal Materials Materials ideal for repurposing are ones that are generic, versatile and adaptable. As in the example of old conveyor belt, it can be repurposed in all kinds of creative ways in all kinds of industries. Cattle ranchers build wind breaks out of them, demolition companies use them as blast mats, etc. If you’re constructing a new maintenance facility, the ultimate concrete fl oor repurpose protection comes at the time of construction. Instead of just pouring a straight concrete fl oor, enterprising fl eet shop designers actually space used railroad rails about 18” to 24” on center prior to pouring the concrete. Th ey then pour concrete up to 1/8” to 1/4” on the tops of the rail. Once dried, the fl oor is pretty much a normal fl oor until a bulldozer or other tracked machine is driven onto it. Th e tracks of the bulldozer ride on the slightly elevated steel rails instead of the concrete. One warehouse manager painted old railroad rail yellow and bolted them out 24” from his warehouse walls to act as a “bumper” to keep forklift s and vehicles from crashing into the warehouse walls. Wear Parts At repurposedMATERIALS, we pioneered our repurposing mission/concept on used materials like used conveyor belting from mines. But as our organization has matured, we are discovering more and more opportunities to fi nd unrelated second industries that can repurpose materials coming out of fl eet maintenance, particularly the diff erent wear parts that are systematically replaced on diff erent types of fl eet equipment. Agreed upon remanufacturing terms By David A. Kolman, Editor The increased use of remanufactured products around the world is accelerating as organizations come to understand the quality, value and sustainability benefi ts of remanufactured goods. In the meantime, remanufacturing is gaining greater awareness with governments. Yet, for years, there has been the lack of a common understanding within the international automotive remanufacturing sector. To enable the remanufacturing industry to speak with one voice, and to do away with some of the confusion, six of the world’s leading associations within this sector have reached a common understanding of basic defi nitions associated with sustainable manufacturing. DEFINITIONS The agreed upon defi nitions are: Remanufacturing Process. Remanufacturing is a standardized industrial process by which cores are returned to same-asnew, or better, condition and performance. The process is in line with specifi c technical specifi cations, including engineering, quality and testing standards. The process yields fully warranted products. An industrial process is an established process which is fully documented and capable to fulfi l the requirements established by the remanufacturer. Core. A core is a previously sold, worn or non-functional product or part intended for the remanufacturing process. During reverse logistics, a core is protected, handled and identifi ed for remanufacturing to avoid damage and to preserve its value. A core is not waste or scrap and is not intended to be reused before remanufacturing. Remanufactured Part. A remanufactured part fulfi lls a function which is at least equivalent compared to the original part. It is restored from an existing part (core), using standardized Consider this repurpose that came from a municipal fl eet maintenance byproduct. City fl eets routinely replace used street sweeper brushes, or tube brooms, as they’re called in the industry. Th is particular city fl eet repurposed its tube brooms as backscratchers for livestock at horse farms, dairies and zoos all across America. With fl eet wear parts and the like, landfi lling is oft en the hassle-free way to get rid of the items, but that is obviously at odds with organizational initiatives, such as landfi ll diversion goals or eff orts to reach Zero Waste. Fleet maintenance crews that service fi re trucks are oft en left wondering what to do with all the old, decommissioned fi re hoses that had to be replaced. Many heavy equipment operators will take this old fi re hose and run their hydraulic lines inside of it. Th is serves as an inexpensive sleeve to prevent premature wear and damage to hydraulic lines. Innovative ways to repurpose materials are limitless. Whether you’re trying to stretch an ever-shrinking operations budget, or are trying to keep material out of the landfi ll, keep repurposing in mind as strategy. Damon Carson is the founder and president of repurposedMATERIALS (www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com), an organization that finds new uses for items at the end of their lives. It currently has yards in Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Philadelphia. Rolls of old conveyor belting can be repurposed by cutting to length and installing it as a snowplow blade defl ector. Photo courtesy of repurposedMATERIALS industrial processes in line with specifi c technical specifi cations. A remanufactured part is given the same warranty as a new part and it clearly identifi es the part as a remanufactured part and states the remanufacturer. THE SIX The associations involved were: • European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), www.clepa.eu. • Motor & Equipment Remanufacturers Association (MERA), MERA.org. • Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA), www.apra.org. • Automotive Parts Remanufacturers National Association (ANRAP), www.anrap.org.br. • European Organization for the Engine Remanufacture (FIRM), http://fi rm-org.eu. • Remanufacture Committee of China Association of Automobile Manufactures (CPRA), no website. 36 FLEET MAINTENANCE ❚ NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 ❚ VehicleServicePros.com
FleetMaintenance_NovemberDecember_2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above