Repair & Remanufacture

Repair and remanufacture are two very similar processes. They share the same end goal of taking a product that is damaged or faulty, and bringing it back to a usable state. The key difference between repair versus remanufacture, is that when a product is repaired, the faulty component is found and replaced, whereas in remanufacture, all worn components are replaced or serviced, bringing the product to an as new or better than new condition (Reames 2020). The ability to easily repair a product is vital in preventing waste. As cheap manufacturing pumps out products ever faster, the worlds “throwaway culture” feeds landfills at a higher rate than ever before. Electronic products are one of the leading causes of this (Sheibani 2009). Manufacturers make it increasingly more difficult to disassemble and repair their products, pushing consumers to buy replacement products, rather than to repair their current ones. The idea of “Design for disassembly” has been adopted by several organisations. iFixit is a business that provides instructions and tools to take apart and repair complicated devices, such as apple phones. This is argued to “give back control” to user, making them product owners, not consumers. Manufacturers can be clear with their consumers, and offer services to repair products, making them last longer, and delay their eventual total failure, keeping them away from landfill for as long as possible. Remanufacture is a type of service offered to a customer. It takes repair a step further, servicing all necessary components within a product. This could be quite common for white goods, which would be difficult for a consumer to take apart. The remanu-facture process provides benefits to many parties. For a cost wary customer, remanufactured products may be in their interests, as they tend to be more affordable than their factory new counterparts, whilst still being of a similar quality. Environmentally, remanufactured products use a sliver of the resources that a brand-new product might use. The reduced usage of energy and virgin materials means that Earth’s resources are prolonged and less emissions are created.

REPAIR AND REMANUFACTURE

For the manufacturer, remanufacturing services can create jobs domestically, as it makes sense for remanufacturing to be done close to the consumer. It can also increase profit margins, and boost relations with customers (ERN, n.d)

Remanufacture is quite common in larger, heavy machinery. In the automotive industry, for example. Large truck engines are often services - replacing seals, bearings, rods, and machining surfaces back to factory specifications. This is generally a finan-cial necessity for some businesses, as replacing a whole engine would be very expensive. It does, nevertheless, reduce wastage, and increase the products lifespan. Repair and remanufacture are important procedures that must become more common. They are some of the most effective means of increasing a products life, as they require minimal new materials, and are close to the consumer. This directly impacts waste production, utlising the maximum potential of a products energy, and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.