Giving old components a new lease of life at Volvo CE

The shift towards a circular economy is key to the transition towards net zero carbon emissions. Keeping construction machines – and their parts – in action for longer, to maximise their useful life, is a core part of Volvo CE’s sustainability ambitions. And it’s an approach that is proving popular with customers too.

Moving from a linear business model in which we make new products and simply discard them at the end of life, towards a circular one which embraces remanufacturing, refurbishing, repurposing and recycling is right for customers and also the planet.

At Volvo CE, the life cycle of every piece of construction equipment is thought through, right from the development stage to ensure our machines operate with the smallest possible impact on the environment. To conserve the use of precious resources, we need to minimize the use of new materials to make parts and machines.

A new lease of life for old parts

At Volvo Reman, old components are given a new life. After complete dismantling, cleaning, checking and repairing to make them as good as new, everything from engines and their surrounding parts, transmissions, hydraulic parts, driveline parts and some electronics are given a second life.

David Forsman, Product Manager at Volvo Reman says: “The planet’s resources are finite, so we need to make sure we use them carefully and extract maximum benefit from them. With Reman, we take used, worn parts and in many cases make them even better than they were when first bought, by including any available updates and the latest specifications.

“We reuse up to 85% of the original material and what cannot be reused is recycled. By taking old parts and returning them to new condition, we’re keeping them in circulation and avoiding the need for new parts to be manufactured. It takes 80% less energy to build a reman component compared to manufacturing from new, which means CO2 emissions are significantly reduced too.”

Reduced downtime and increased productivity

The benefits are not only environmental. The delivery and replacement of a Reman part is quicker than traditional repair, meaning improved uptime for customers. And with the new part coming with the same warranty as that for a brand-new component, and at an attractive price, it’s a popular choice for customers.

More and more customers are setting their own sustainability goals and by offering used parts and machines, Volvo CE is providing a variety of solutions to help its customers meet their commitments and in doing so, ensure the life of its machines for the next generation.