ReMaTecNews | 15
CoremanNet: Cutting lead times with CoremanNet Niklas Appel, sales manager at CoremanNet, Karlsruhe, Germany, who gave an educational seminar during the Big R/Rematec exhibition, reported on the progress of the core return business founded in 2001. If users are not managing their cores, “they are leaving money on the table”, said Niklas Appel. Founded in 2001 by Robert Bosch GmbH, CoremanNet was established for the purpose of providing qualified core return solutions for the automotive spare parts market through 13 European locations. Nine years later, the core management service was expanded to serve other customers and manufacturers. In 2012, CoremanNet opened its first U.S. warehouse center in Atlanta, Georgia. It now also operates a center in Shanghai and plans to expand into Brazil and China in the near future. “Our service can reduce lead time from four to
six weeks to two to three weeks,” said Appel. “Adoption of our service has been good so far, and we definitely make the core worries go away.” CoremanNet offers four different return options consulting: reverse logistics (collection and return), identification (technical assessment, physical damage, and core balancing on the customer level), and software (for maximum value and product flow). Appel emphasizes that CoremanNet minimizes financial risks by providing accurate, on-time info, with thorough evaluation of core value levels. “We reduce complexity for core management on all reman products, even with multiple locations. There are synergies of using planned transportation, and truckloads are sent to the remanufacturer as needed.”
Maria Bonelli and Niklas Appel, CoremanNet management, an IT system and physical logistics from one source, and the technical knowledge and assessment of the products. n
Distinctive offerings, according to Appel, include 10 day credit notices for better capital cost
Jamaica: Bringing reman to the Caribbean Despite its many attractions, few would call the Caribbean a thriving market for remanufacturing. That may be about to change - at least if it’s up to Gordon Baldie, a 44-year-old parts distributor based in Montego Bay in Jamaica. Having built a business as a used car dealer and provider of Japanese car parts in Jamaica (population 3.5 million) Baldie now intends to bring remanufacturing to the whole Caribbean area.“As you know, some of the islands have limited potential due to their size,” he told ReMaTecNews. “Nevertheless, the population of the region, including Jamaica, is clearly sufficient to support an interesting remanufacturing sector. All in all, the Caribbean and Latin America comprise 21 countries and most of them have very little knowledge about the benefits of remanufactured products.” Under the trade names Inter Caribbean Automotive Distribution, Nippon Car Parts and Cars to Go, Baldie has built a broad customer base. He is confident that he can expand his business into imports
and distribution of remanufactured products in addition to the existing imports and sees his base in Montego Bay as a prospective logistics hub. “Remanufactured products are not well known in the region,” he says. “You could say that it’s a well-kept secret that’s waiting to be revealed. With the relaxation of trade restrictions between the US and Cuba, there will be more opportunities here, too. A country like the Dominican Republic is yet another untapped market.” New warehouse For the reman initiative, Baldie is leasing new warehouse capacity in Montego Bay for storing both new and remanufactured parts. Following visits to Europe and the US to explore opportunities and link up with partners, he regards the first half of 2015 as a breakthrough for Caribbean remanufacturing. “I have more cores than I can dispose of and other large quantities are available from other parts of the region,” he says. “I guarantee that once car owners in our region realise the quality of remanufactured parts, they will buy them.” n Gordon Baldie: Bringing reman to the Caribbean