Aisin gives discarded gearboxes new life
Known as AW Europe until recently, Asin Europe is a global manufacturer of original and second-hand car parts. The company is a market leader in the production of automatic gearboxes. The Belgian branch of Aisin specializes in the repair and renewal of used car parts.
Aisin Belgium has for some years now been strongly committed to 'remanufacturing' automatic transmissions. The company collects discarded gearboxes, repairs and cleans them, and brings them back to the level of a new gearbox. The refurbished units are used for repairs.
"Remanufacturing is becoming increasingly important for us. It is a way to meet the challenges of the climate crisis," says Achimi Hassaini, Head of Operations. "By reusing end-of-life appliances, we need to buy fewer raw materials. For the remanufacturing process we choose environmentally friendly methods, which for example consume little water. In this way, we reduce our climate footprint."
High quality requirements
For reuse to be successful, customers must want a used gearbox in their car. That is why Aisin Belgium works to the highest quality standards, says Achimi Hassaini. "Every part is cleaned and checked. After the remanufacturing process, you can't see any difference from a new gearbox. The performance is also comparable, which we check with extremely expensive, specialized testing equipment. All our remanufactured gearboxes reach Original Equipment (OE) level."
"Our customers are becoming more and more convinced of the potential. Of course, this has to do with the price: a second-hand gearbox is cheaper. In addition, we work for major car manufacturers who have to meet strict sustainability requirements themselves. Reuse fits perfectly in that framework."
Lower cost
In the Belgian Aisin facility in Mons, remanufacturing now accounts for an annual turnover of €10 million. There is still a substantial room for growth, as Supply Chain Manager Régis Sénéca knows. Two years ago, we used one shift every day for remanufacturing. Today we work in three shifts, at full capacity."
"We take our reuse activities very seriously. In addition to turnover targets, we have specific KPIs around quality monitoring, cost control, etc. This enables us to market a quality second-hand gearbox at a fraction of the price of a new one."
“After the remanufacturing process, you can't see any difference from a new gearbox. The performance is also comparable, which we check with extremely expensive, specialized testing equipment.”
Achimi Hassaini, Head of Operations
Future vision
Aisin wants to scale up its remanufacturing activities in the future. Régis Sénéca: "Today we remanufacture about 400 gearboxes a month. By 2023, that should be 1,600. That's not a small number, but reuse will only become more important in the coming years. We have also started a small research project into the reuse possibilities of electronic components. This will enable us to expand our remanufacturing story."
