Nervous about the quality of remanufactured brakes? Buy from an OE supplier and you’ll get reliable product at lower cost, says Knorr-Bremse. You could also help reduce emissions and protect the environment in the process.
Many fleets avoid remanufactured braking products, preferring not to take any risks with a component fundamental to a vehicle’s safe operation. However, the vehicle’s value, as well as its age, is becoming an ever more important factor when buying spare parts and in managing Total Cost of Ownership.
One route to safe, reliable but also cost effective repair of brakes on older commercial vehicles and buses, is to fit remanufactured or refurbished components. A cheap remanufactured brake caliper from an aftermarket supplier for an older truck or bus is one alternative, but Knorr-Bremse believes remanufactured products from the Original Equipment Supplier eliminates the risks involved with this approach, while delivering the cost-savings operators are looking for when servicing older vehicles.
The use of existing core is why remanufactured components can be made at a lower cost without any compromise on quality.
OE remanufacturing
Knorr-Bremse’s EconX remanufactured range of brake calipers references the same standards set for its OE products. As an original equipment manufacturer, the company is familiar with the precise technical requirements for each truck and bus model, so can comply with high quality standards throughout the entire remanufacturing process, from core sorting to end-of-line testing.
The brakes manufacturer can do this because it has access to the original equipment specifications of all
manufacturers, as well as the design and revision levels and the original components that are required.
Companies that offer remanufactured or refurbished brakes, but who are not OE suppliers, will not have all of this specification data and it is this information which is key to EconX quality.
Genuine remanufacturing processes closely resemble those used to manufacture OE products. EconX
remanufactured products are built to OE Quality using OE components and reassembled on the OE assembly lines.
No compromise on safety
Older vehicles are just as safe driving with EconX products as they are with service new products. The lifetime expectancy is tailored to the expected remaining service life of the vehicle. So, warranty is shorter than for service new products because the main components come from used products (cores).
Reduced downtime
The company recognises that downtime can be an important factor when sourcing replacement components, so it is working to ensure a wide range of EconX parts will be available off the shelf to minimise that downtime. For example, the company has just extended the parts references for the EconX version of the SN7 disc brake caliper to more models.
The environment
With more fleets, conscious of the environmental impact of their operations, the good news is that remanufacturing is good for the environment. A remanufactured break, for example, produces 79% less CO2 emissions than a new brake. The manufacturing of EconX SN7 caliper results in a reduction of emissions equivalent to 44.9kg CO2 – 79% less energy than used for a new brake.
