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Hanna Linden
Senior forskare
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UBD Cleantech strengthens remanufacturing with a strategic roadmap
How can remanufacturing become a viable business model? A key starting point is to develop clear strategies and roadmaps that map the journey from the current state to circular product life cycles. By working with a roadmap, UBD Cleantech gained fresh perspectives and a tool that simplifies concrete changes while making it easier to prioritize over the long term.
UBD Cleantech has been working with remanufacturing automotive components since 1970, with a particular focus on diesel particulate filters and advanced electronics. Their customers include both vehicle manufacturers and the aftermarket. In collaboration with RISE, among others, UBD Cleantech has developed strategic planning that offers new outlooks on how remanufacturing can evolve.
Process and challenges
The remanufacturing process begins when components are sent in by customers, who retain ownership of the products. The process includes identification, marking, cleaning, replacement of parts where needed, testing and packing before the component is returned. A unit may pass through up to 20 different stations depending on its complexity.
For diesel particulate filters, the work is mainly mechanical, while electronics often require significantly more effort – not least due to software dependencies and the need for reverse engineering.
– Developing test methods and finding solutions when information isn’t available is the most challenging part. It can take hundreds of hours before the process is in place, says Jens Fischlein, Sales and Marketing Manager at UBD Cleantech.
It raised questions we would not have asked ourselves and helped us see new opportunities
Roadmap as strategic support
To address long-term challenges, UBD Cleantech participated in the REMARKABLE project (Remanufacturing: Key Enabler to Future Business). Together with RISE and other partners, they developed a strategic roadmap for remanufacturing. The roadmap provided clearer visibility of possible development paths and helped frame important questions for the future.
– It raised questions we would not have asked ourselves and helped us see new opportunities, says Jens Fischlein.
Lessons and results
The work on the roadmap mainly delivered new perspectives. Through visualizations and a shared language, UBD was able to discuss strategy more concretely and agree on a clearer forward direction. The roadmap became a shared plan around which the whole organization could align, making it easier to identify priorities and next steps. In addition to strategic gains, the work has led to more tangible initiatives, such as a new website and improvements in production.
The future of remanufacturing
The market for remanufacturing is expanding, especially in electronics where demand for spare parts is expected to increase as components become more sophisticated and new production is phased out earlier. Diesel particulate filters will continue to be important, particularly for heavy vehicles. The roadmap provides a starting point for how UBD Cleantech intends to approach the future.
– Awareness of circular solutions is increasing, and we see a clear shift in how both manufacturers and workshops are thinking. Our priority right now is to strengthen relationships with existing customers, while recognising that the expertise we are developing is also opening doors to new markets and customers, says Jens Fischlein.
What is a roadmap in remanufacturing?
A roadmap is a plan that outlines the journey from the current situation to a desired future state. In remanufacturing, it helps companies identify technology choices, logistics solutions and competence needs, and prioritise between different paths forward.
The process of developing a roadmap often takes place in workshops together with researchers and experts, where the current state, targets and steps in between are visualised. The outcome is a guiding document and a shared plan that supports decision-making, coordination and long-term follow-up.
Contact Hanna Lindén if you are interested to know more about remanufacturing roadmaps.
REMARKABLE has been coordinated by Linköping University in collaboration with RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Jönköping University (JTH), ElektroTermo AB, Etac Sweden, GRUNDFOS, Svero Lifting AB, Toyota Material Handling Sweden, and UBD Cleantech.
The project is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas – a research council for sustainable development – through the strategic innovation programme RE:Source-SIP.
