Komatsu has started a reman business in Japan covering capacitors and inverters, key components for hybrid hydraulic excavators. Plans are to expand the scope of remanufacturing to include the same components for hybrid hydraulic excavators outside of Japan.
Komatsu introduced a hybrid hydraulic excavator to the market in 2008 as an effort to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions on job sites. Hybrid hydraulic excavators use a Komatsu-developed hybrid system that employs an inverter to convert the energy generated during swing braking into electrical energy that is stored in a capacitor and used as supplementary energy to drive the swing and accelerate the engine. In the past, however, the only way to repair energy storage-related components was to replace them with new ones.
Komatsu has been expanding its remanufacturing capabilities for diesel-powered equipment, including remanufactured engines and transmissions from construction and mining equipment previously used on customer sites for long periods of time. Through various processes involving disassembly, cleaning, repair or replacement of parts, reassembly, painting, and shipping inspections, Komatsu ensures its Reman components are restored to the same quality and performance as new components which are then resupplied back to the market.
For hybrid hydraulic excavators, Komatsu has also achieved remanufacturing of capacitors and inverters in response to growing customer requests. Komatsu reman capacitors and inverters will be compatible with hybrid hydraulic excavators of the HB series currently sold in Japan. Komatsu should be able to repair electric components at a lower cost, contributing to the reduction of total life cycle cost of hybrid hydraulic excavators, as well as the reduction of environmental impact, such as curtailment of waste and CO2 emissions.
In the future, Komatsu will continue to evolve its value chain business, such as parts sales, maintenance, and repair after sales of new equipment, ensuring customers can use Komatsu machines with peace of mind from the time they purchase new equipment until they can sell it as used equipment.
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