Consider an Alternative Green Approach for Portable Power

Remanufacturing of generators yields economic and environmental benefits.

Integrating a reman engine into your generator can cost up to 50% less than a new Tier 4 Final engine, and can offer even greater savings over the purchase of a new piece of equipment.
Integrating a reman engine into your generator can cost up to 50% less than a new Tier 4 Final engine, and can offer even greater savings over the purchase of a new piece of equipment.

By Darin Schultz, Sales Manager at Perkins Pacific

When a generator is nearing the end of its useful life, you might be left with the difficult choice of whether to replace your existing generator, install a brand new, more expensive engine or seek an alternative option. Many companies are now taking advantage of engine remanufacturing to repower their generator fleet.

Andy Machin, vice president of Perkins Pacific, a Washington state-based engine distributor and remanufacturer, has seen significantly more interest in engine remanufacturing. The lower cost and like-new performance of the product after integration is driving many owners to consider remanufactured engines as an option.

For years, reman has been a common choice to extend the life of various types of machinery for many equipment owners and operators. It is worth consideration to give your generators a second life.

The Four Benefits of Remanufacturing

Remanufacturing offers a number of advantages. It is a lower cost, more environmentally friendly alternative that offers less downtime and increases the resale value of equipment.

Here’s a closer look at a few reasons why you should consider a reman engine:

1) Lower Cost

One of the biggest factors in choosing a remanufactured engine is cost. Remanufactured engines cost up to 50% less than a new Tier 4 Final engine, not including associated engineering costs, and offer even greater savings over the purchase of a new piece of equipment. Maintenance on some new Tier 4 Final engines can be costly, as well. In addition to being more complex to service, additional costs for aftertreatment cleaning and diesel exhaust fluid can add up quickly.

After integrating a reman engine, generators can typically see an additional four to seven years of service life. When compared to the cost of new engine integration, the value and quality offered is significant. Remanufactured engines can help minimize total cost of ownership for equipment and offer an economical alternative to Tier 4 Final or the investment in new power generation equipment.

We frequently hear from customers who are looking for ways to refurbish their generator fleets and add more years to the life of each unit they own, says Kevin Knowles, generator sales at Southwest Products. “With our predominantly Perkins-powered generator lineup, Perkins Pacific has been a resource for supplying and integrating remanufactured engines that help our customers get many additional years of service from their generators,” he states.

2) Less Downtime

Opting to replace an existing engine with a new one typically requires significant engineering time that can render equipment out of service for months. The integration and testing process also takes significantly longer with a new Tier 4 Final engine than with remanufactured engines.

“A completely new engine may include diesel exhaust fluid, fluid lines and mounting components, each of which must be configured during integration. Electrical components, an ECU/ECM and a high level of technical interfaces with electronics programming and testing increase engineering time,” notes Paul Hecker, an engineer at Southwest Products. “All of that additional engineering work can add up to about an additional 150 hours.”

With remanufactured engines, downtime is minimized. Remanufactured engines are essentially an updated, refreshed version of the generator’s existing engine, so they take much less time to integrate.

3) Increased Resale Value

Once a generator has neared the end of its life, resale within the U.S. and to lesser regulated countries can be a significant source of revenue for fleet owners. Integrating a remanufactured engine can increase the resale value of a used generator by a substantial amount. With a reman engine, used generators are not limited to resale only within the U.S.

There are two main factors currently making it difficult to sell Tier 4 Final-powered equipment in lesser regulated countries: serviceability and fuel availability. The lack of established service programs for the new technology makes supporting the product difficult. This, coupled with high product costs, has companies shying away from Tier 4 Final powered equipment.

In addition, many lesser regulated countries don’t have high availability of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, which is required by Tier 4 Final engines to operate effectively. Without it, the diesel particulate filter can clog rapidly and cause significant operation issues.

4) A More Sustainable Option

With the growing demand for environmentally friendly alternatives, many equipment owners are now fielding questions about their own “green” practices and equipment. Remanufactured engines offer a way for companies to increase the sustainability practices for their business.

Purchasing a remanufactured engine keeps an old engine core and many usable components out of a landfill, which can greatly reduce the impact on the environment. According to Machin, approximately 73% of the old engine can be salvaged during the remanufacturing process, saving millions of pounds of waste out of landfills.

New engine production requires all new materials, substantial amounts of energy for the production process and additional transportation costs. By utilizing recycled components, a remanufactured engine typically uses about 80% less energy than new engine production, making it a much greener option. For fleet owners, reman offers the opportunity to expand their sustainability practices while saving money.

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