Capital Equipment News November 2015

DRIVETRAINS AND COMPONENTS

INCREASING PROFITABILITY and turnaround time with remanufacturing

T he exchange rate continues to place pressure on companies importing products and components. A smart alternative to purchasing new engine com- ponents is the remanufacture of compo- nents to OEM standards. “There is a misconception that diesel en- gine component repair or remanufacture can only be done properly in Europe or America. However, Metric Automotive Engineering be- lies this idea with a proven track record in southern Africa over the past 40 years. Our facilities and competencies are comparable to anywhere else in the world and in addi- tion, it is far more cost effective to carry out such repairs or remanufacture locally due to the weak exchange rate,” says Andrew Yorke, director at Metric Automotive Engineering. Yorke emphasises that remanufactured components need to conform to the same standards as new parts. Customers can be assured of comparable quality and capability by aligning themselves with a service pro- vider that invests in the latest technology to improve the quality and capacity of its repair and rebuild services. This should be complemented by a technical- ly trained and competent team capable of us- ing the technology appropriately. These fac- tors must also be supported by best practice quality procedures that underpin the standard of the workmanship and offer the customer complete peace of mind. Metric Automotive Engineering realises that using the right technology, such as the newly commissioned Rottler F109 extra heavy duty multi-purpose CNC machining centre and Berco RTM 575 crankshaft grinding machine, will give the company the necessary capacity to remanufacture components. Significantly, the CNC machining centre is the only one of its kind in Africa. “The engines currently being installed into new vehicles are highly sophisticated; not in their major elements but in the minor com- ponents that are so critical to performance and emissions efficiencies. It is therefore important that a remanufacturer’s equip- ment should be capable of machining new generation engine components, since these require far tighter machining tolerances and advanced machining methods during the re- manufacturing process. This necessitates far

stockholding of IPD components to ensure that time delays are minimised.

higher skill levels among remanufacturing engineers as well as more accurate equip- ment because there is a less room for error,” adds Yorke. He continues that the quality of workmanship is critical as it can affect the operational life of the component and the engine itself, and it is therefore important to use a remanufacturer that can deliver uncompromising quality. Not only is Metric Automotive Engineering able to refurbish large diesel engine components and offer services such as cylinder head re- manufacture, cylinder block line boring, mill- ing, honing and boring, camshaft grinding, crankshaft grinding, engine assembly and dynamometer testing, but it is also able to salvage major components that would other- wise be rendered unserviceable. Yorke points out that the case for remanufac- turing engine components in South Africa is strengthened by the fact that many replace- ment parts are no longer available ex stock in the country. This means that they would need to be shipped into South Africa and in instances where they are needed urgently, and then air freight charges would add extra costs to the overall component pricing. Metric Automotive Engineering is the au- thorised IPD Parts distributor in southern African and uses these quality parts in the remanufacture of engines. Manufactured by IPD Parts in the USA, these components are produced in a Lloyds Register accredited ISO 9001:2008 quality controlled environment to ensure integrity and optimum performance under working conditions. Engineered to meet the OEM parts specifications, IPD Parts are available at a lower cost. Metric Automo- tive Engineering maintains a comprehensive

Another benefit Metric Automotive Engineer- ing offers customers is the diagnosis and fault analysis service provided by its sister compa- ny Reef Fuel Injection Services. The ability of Reef Fuel Injection Services to remanufacture the latest generation fuel systems means that companies save substantial amounts on components that would otherwise be consid- ered as waste. “An investment in the latest diagnostic equip- ment ensures that Reef Fuel Injection Ser- vices stays abreast of available technology. The company offers Bosch, Delphi, Stana- dyne and Denso approved fuel injection ser- vices and it is acknowledged as a specialist in CAT fuel systems,” says Yorke. The bottom line is that earthmoving equip- ment operators simply cannot afford the downtime that is typically associated with the long lead time on importing components. In addition, one needs to factor in the substan- tial cost benefits derived from remanufactur- ing locally. Where quality can be assured, this is a very attractive alternative for the local market. “With the capabilities provided by Metric Au- tomotive Engineering and Reef Fuel Injection Services, the local industry has access to an OEM standard component remanufac- ture service that can cover both engine and fuel system components. This affords them a faster turnaround time, which will natural- ly have a positive impact on their business operations, with the added assurance that component specifications and tolerances are strictly adhered to,” Yorke concludes. b

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