REMAN, REBUIL D, REPL ACE
Just like passenger cars, commercial vehicles
are in the midst of technological, regulatory
and maintenance transformations that will
have lasting eff ects on the marketplace. Some
of these changes will create new opportunities,
while others may necessitate creative
solutions from fl eets.
Following up on interviews with executives
from MERA member companies, it became
clear that – with the right planning – fl eets can
utilize resources already in place to help cut
costs, better manage technician repair times
and decrease the downtime required for vehicles
in a service bay. Th ese solutions, which
38 Fleet Maintenance | July 2018
MERA sees as trending upward over the next
fi ve years, will be especially helpful if the economy
underperforms or fl eets fi nd themselves
struggling to cut expenses.
Commercial vehicle ownership
periods lengthening
One trend that MERA members see on the horizon
is that as the demand for new OE commercial
vehicles will slow down beyond 2019 as
both fl eets and independent operators hold on
to aging vehicles longer. With more miles on
fl eet vehicles before new replacement, the need
to perform regular maintenance and repairs
will increase.
Th is normally would cause concern for a
fl eet, because not only does the vehicle now
require an investment in replacement parts, it
also is no longer capable of generating revenue
each day it remains out of service.
At this point, fl eets will have a decision
to make in terms of what types of parts to
put into a vehicle repair. By weighing the
expected quality of a part against the cost
of various replacement options such as new,
remanufactured, rebuilt or used, a fl eet can
determine a benefi t-cost ratio for the value
of each solution.
“A fl eet manager or owner-operator will
always look for the most cost-eff ective solution
that meets their expectation of quality,”
says Henry Foxx, Bendix Commercial
Vehicle Systems’ director of remanufactured
products. “As fl eet vehicles age, the value of a
replacement part to the end user is increased
when it costs less but performs the same as
the original part.”
It is important for fl eets to keep in mind that
only two replacement part options, new and
remanufactured, go through an extensive standardized
industrial process to produce parts
that are fully warrantied.
Whether through the OE or independent
aft ermarket channel, remanufactured parts
are priced up to 30 percent less, on average,
when compared to new. Th is benefi ts fl eets
by reducing the money spent on replacement
parts. Th e ability to manage expenses, without
compromising quality, will become crucial to
fl eets as vehicles age.
Part replacement risks
placed on suppliers
As more maintenance is required, fl eets will
increasingly turn to parts suppliers who
can off er the peace of mind that should any
fault arise with a repair, a replacement under
warranty will be handled expediently to
reduce downtime.
In response, as the need to get quality parts
in the hands of technicians continues to rise
in the coming years, both OE dealer networks
and independent channels are expanding to
meet fl eet demands. Since new and remanufactured
parts are mass-produced, off -theshelf
solutions compared to rebuilt or used
products, by servicing a vehicle with a new
or remanufactured part, the responsibility
to maintain a suffi cient supply for warranty
Trends in the commercial
vehicle aftermarket
The right planning can help fl eets cut costs, better
manage employees and decrease vehicle downtime.
By John Chalifoux
PRESIDENT & COO, MERA
MERA - The Association for Sustainable Manufacturing - is
a trade group that represents companies promoting the
economic, environmental and product performance benefits
of remanufacturing and similar forms of sustainable
manufacturing. MERA is also the home of Manufactured
Again Certification, where manufacturing and sustainable
manufacturing are held to the same international
quality standards. Chalifoux has served as the president
and chief operating officer of MERA since its inception in
January 2011.
» As the need to get quality parts in
the hands of technicians continues to
rise in the coming years, both OE dealer
networks and independent channels are
expanding to meet fleet demands.
Photo courtesy of Mohawk Lifts
With more miles on
fleet vehicles before
new replacement,
the need to perform
regular maintenance
and repairs will
increase.