Going Green

14 June 2007  

GROWING environmental awareness among drivers will boost sales opportunities for remanufactured parts in garages, according to the head of Remy Automotive.

Managing director Michael Flensborg said remanufactured parts’ green credentials could help create extra demand from drivers.

Speaking from the remanufacturing company’s Leicester plant today (Thursday June 14), Michael said the demand for recycled, environmentally-friendly automotive products would grow as it had in other industries.

“When you consider the times a person needs a remanufactured product, it is always because the original part has failed,” he said.

“In that sense, it’s not a pleasant purchase for drivers and there will always be a cost element to it.

“I don’t think people will ever say they want a remanufactured part at any cost but if you have a choice between two products, and one of them is remanufactured, increasingly I think we will see people wanting the remanufactured one.”

According to figures, remanufactured brake callipers now account for 75% of the UK market, compared with 40% 10 years ago.

Similarly, 60% of sales of non-OE starters and alternators in the UK are now remanufactured. Approximately 30% are repaired and 10% come from scrap-yards.

Michael said environmental concerns were playing an increasing role in the design of cars.

“There are Volvo and Volkswagen cars that are, theoretically at least, 95% recyclable,” he said.

“In the next 10 years, cars are going to be designed with the ability to be recycled and remanufactured more and more in mind.

“In Germany, the market is very much orientated towards OE parts and in southern Europe, repaired parts are more popular,” he continued.

“The UK market is traditionally a remanufacturing market and in that sense it is ahead of its time in meeting the demand for re-use and recycling – although originally of course, remanufacturing was about cost savings and availability.”