APRA's Electronics & Mechatronics Division Hosts a Memorable Clinic During the 2006 International Big R Show
by Fernand Weiland, Division Chairman

More then 40 people attended on October 31, the second meeting of the APRA Electronics & Mechantronics Division which was created early in 2006 at a meeting held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The background of the audience was fairly diverse: electronics remanufacturers, mechatronics (current and future) remanufacturers, core suppliers and component suppliers attended the meeting to listen to very interesting presentations and to discuss the future of the E & M business.

David Wachter of Caterpillar provided an overview of Caterpillar in general and in particular he discussed their important reman division with a focus on Caterpillar remanufacturing of mechatronic components. Caterpillar is one of the biggest global remanufacturers, not only for engines, but also for mechatronics. David Wachter’s message was, Caterpillar is not only a very powerful “yellow” company, but in terms of “green” they are making a substantial contribution to a better environment. He also emphasized that Caterpillar is not only about “big machines” but also electronically controlled components and systems. Not everybody would guess that Caterpillar vehicles are equipped with cruise control, ABS etc., and are fitted with 15 electronic controllers!

Rex Vandenberg came all the way from Australia to talk about electronics remanufacturing. He impressed the audience with the high expertise which his company, Injectronics, has developed in remanufacturing electronics. He also surprised us with his capability to design new boards or simply redesign an original board to resolve service problems due to obsolete or non-obtainable semiconductors. Injectronics has developed a unique know how of reverse engineering of electronic controllers, allowing them to export their products worldwide!

The exchange of information through presentations and networking was one of the objectives of the meeting. Another objective was to discuss and work together on common issues or problems. One such issue is how can members combine efforts to find obsolete and non-obtainable components? To achieve this, Jeff Stukenborg and Joe Kripli proposed to the APRA E & M Division to create a “share point” website where members and the suppliers of the division can post requirements or offers. The proposal was positively approved and APRA will be asked to develop the website.

After the open forum, Chairman Fernand Weiland announced the next activity: the third meeting of the division which will be held in Toronto, Canada and will be combined with a tour of Blue Streak, a global leading remanufacturer of Electronics. The date will be May 14, 2007 for the cocktail and dinner, May 15 for the conference and plant visit. Please turn to page 16 for a full program and registration form.

APRA Global Connection / January 2007

Additional APRA Supported Websites

AutoElectricPro.com
 

Heavy Duty Remanufacturers Group

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