Feasibility Analysis of Using Local Remanufactured Products: A Case Study of Industrial Starters and Alternators

Reported by the U.S. International Trade Commission, production of remanufactured goods had a total annual amount of approximately $43 billion and accounted for about 2% of total manufacturing annual sales from 2009–2011. The remanufacturing industry of motor vehicle parts was the third largest of the remanufacturing sectors and had a production of remanufactured goods with an annual total of approximately $6.2 billion in 2011. Reliable replacement engine parts for heavy duty equipment in Alaska are a high need. Remanufactured engine parts are one way to fulfill that need. While remanufactured industrial starters and alternators are available in Alaska they are currently remanufactured out of state and shipped to a local Anchorage, Alaska business to be sold. The purpose of this paper is to determine what the best method of obtaining industrial starters and alternators is. To that end a variety of forecasting analysis is performed using data from an Anchorage, Alaska business. The results indicate that while remanufacturing industrial starters and alternators in Anchorage, Alaska is possible, there are some problems such as core availability and employee utilization that need to be overcome in order to make it a viable option.