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Remanufacturing in Developing Countries - A Case Study in Automotive Sector in Ecuador

Abstract:

Remanufacturing has proven to be a profitable End-of-Life (EoL) strategy, and it is considered one of the most effective and efficient EoL strategies to encourage sustainability. In Ecuador, EoL strategies in the automotive sector focus on recovering Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) of heavy-duty vehicles and are closer to reconditioning and repairing than remanufacturing. Artisanal Workshops (AW) perform most of these strategies, and they apply different processes based on experience and not on a formal methodology. Thus, the present work aims to bring critical basic information related to ICE remanufacturing to serve as an improvement guideline in the Ecuadorian context. For this purpose, the paper follows a research methodology based on theoretical and on-site data collection. As a result, a generic remanufacturing approach with a further description of crucial operations of ICE remanufacturing for heavy-duty vehicles is shown, including a case study of a diesel engine's remanufacturing. The lack of information and the reverse flow of cores are two main barriers to implementing a remanufacturing business model in Ecuador. Possible strategies to meet those barriers are also discussed.