Komatsu: More than a facelift

Komatsu’s emphasis on parts recycling and re-manufacture is helping to optimise the sustainability and efficiency of its services, while inspiring improved outcomes for the entire sector’s benefit.

After acknowledging a market need more than three decades ago, Komatsu sought to develop a process and dedicated department, focused on making what was once new, new again.

‘Reman’, or remanufacturing, is the process of taking used parts and components, restoring them to as-new condition and refitting them to used machinery.

It’s a process that has become a core function of Komatsu, with the company establishing a global network of sites facilitating reman outcomes in places like the US, India, Japan, South Africa and Indonesia, just to name a few.

As Kelvin Walker, National Operations Manager – Komatsu Australia explains, reman has long been of high importance, reflected in Komatsu’s dedicated reman department and facilities.

“Our main remanufacturing facilities are in Welshpool, Perth and Wacol, Queensland. The Welshpool facility takes care of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia, whilst the Wacol facility handles the entire East Coast,” Walker says.

“The workshops themselves are around 4000 square metres in size and employ about 300 people nationally. Around the country we would build approximately 400 components a month, so reman is a major portion of our business.”

The process

Each component on a Komatsu unit – whether it’s an excavator, wheel loader or motor grader, for example – has a defined service life.

It’s this service life that guides the scheduling of maintenance, as well as Komatsu’s production planning. When a component reaches its scheduled service interval or is showing signs of excessive wear, the customer will tend to remove the part and send it to one of Komatsu’s reman facilities.

‘Reman’ forms a key part of Komatsu’s long-term sustainability strategy.

Upon arrival, the component is disassembled and thoroughly inspected. Findings from these inspections are reviewed with the customer to agree on the scope of the rebuild.

Based on the results of this inspection and discussion, components are cleaned, repaired, or refurbished.

The rebuilt component is then tested to ensure it meets specifications and quality standards, before being handed back to the customer.

Walker says the age, level of wear and type can change drastically from part to part, meaning each needs to be treated individually.

While it may seem drastic to put such focus and resources into an already used part, Walker adds that the time required is a far cry compared to waiting on brand new parts.

“The lead time on some new components can be anything from 14 months to two-to-three years. At times there aren’t many alternatives from an availability point of view. The process we use ensures that the part can be returned in a quality that’s as close as possible to ‘new’,” he says.

“Remanufactured components also typically cost 40-50 per cent less than brand new parts. The other big issue, if you take price out of it, is the basic availability for global production to keep up. This service negates that.”

He says customers experience significant financial savings, not just from lower part costs, but also from reduced downtime, as well as an extended asset life, due to the use of quality OEM (original equipment manufacturer) parts.

A sustainable process

Beyond convenience and time, the other major beneficiary of the reman method is the environment.

According to Walker, 80 per cent of the components of a typical part can be reused or recycled, significantly reducing the volume of raw materials required. Additional savings in shipping, logistics and across the wider supply chain further reduce carbon emissions. Particularly when compared to manufacturing with virgin materials and components.

Reman also contributes to the circular economy by giving existing parts a new lifecycle, rather than sending them to landfill or elsewhere.

Reman is an area that Komatsu continues to heavily invest in, whether it be through financial support for staffing, new facilities, or new equipment.

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Just one example has been the company’s adoption of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining. CNC refers to automated machines controlled by computers to perform precise actions such as cutting, drilling, or shaping metal components.

It’s Walker’s ambition that such technology would help Komatsu’s reman department achieve higher precision in rebuilding parts, while also improving turnaround time, and further reducing any reliance on outsourcing.

Such a method again helps to conserve resources and prevent unnecessary scrapping of parts, especially for components such as journal bearings. Unrecyclable parts and metal scraps are instead melted down by Komatsu’s reman team for reuse.

Komatsu’s customers also benefit, with reduced waiting times and costs for rejuvenated parts, compared to brand new.

Walker adds that beyond improving the sustainability of manufacturing, the reman process also helps to encourage greater recycling and reuse amongst customers.

Be prepared

Komatsu has also established a network of support services and applications, all geared towards optimising early detection for component maintenance, potentially removing the need for reman or further intervention entirely.

KomServ, an internal program designed for data capture and analysis, collects operational information about both parts and equipment.

This service helps the company to monitor the health and usage of components in the field, predict inventory needs more accurately and identify patterns that could lead to improvements in maintenance, repair and overall machine uptime.

Other platforms, such as myFleet and Komtrax, enable operators and fleet managers to make data-driven decisions around maintenance schedules for individual units, right up to entire fleets.

Walker says that while programs such as this help to extend component life and reduce unnecessary replacements, so does the ingenuity and robustness of Komatsu’s machinery.

“It’s the quality and durability that keeps our machines moving,” he says. “We’re continuing to heavily invest in facilities, tooling and equipment, which includes new technologies.”

This article was originally published in the February edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.