Berlin (December 8, 2023). During a visit to Brose E-Bike, the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) and the Berlin-based system manufacturer talked in detail about the topic of remanufacturing. The result of the discussion: Brose sets very high standards regarding its pioneering reconditioning measures for used and defective drives.

Anna Trawnitschek, Project Manager for Circular Economy at DIN, says: "The insights into the high-quality processes that Brose has set up were very exciting, since we recently published DIN specification 91472 on the subject of "Remanufacturing – Quality classification for circular processes", which describes a similar procedure."

Brose was the first manufacturer to start the serial remanufacturing process for its old e-bike drives in 2021 and has been continuously optimizing it ever since. Five predefined components from obsolete drives are reconditioned: They are intensively tested and cleaned before missing parts are added and assembled into a Reman Drive. The motors, which are also guaranteed for two years, are significantly cheaper than new products and are in no way inferior to them in terms of quality. In addition, the production of a Reman Drive saves around 21 kilograms of CO2 compared to the use of new parts.

Vincent Bahar, Project Leader Remanufacturing at Brose: "We are very proud of our self-designed method, which we have already compared with the contents of DIN SPEC 91472. In that process, we also recognized potential for further developing the specification. The meeting encourages us in our approach and should be an incentive for even more sustainability in the entire ebike industry."

Trawnitschek also emphasizes that: "The more efficient use of resources makes the relevance of remanufacturing for manufacturing companies clear. Brose was several years ahead of standardization with its development of a reman process. Based on the discussion, we see a good best-practice example for the industry of how small pilot projects can become larger concepts."

Since mid-November, Brose has been intensively informing e-bike dealers about the significantly cheaper and more climate-friendly repair option in its service workshops. Interested end users have been able to purchase remanufactured magnesium platform motors from their dealer or workshop since August. The Reman versions of the aluminum series will follow at the beginning of 2024.

About Brose Drive Technology

Brose e-bike systems offer the right solution for every application – whether in city, trekking or mountain bikes. The family-owned company has transferred its decades of experience as a supplier of electric motors for the automotive industry to the bicycle. At the e-bike competence center in Berlin, more than 140 employees develop and produce drives that are used in models from over 30 manufacturers worldwide. Together with specially developed displays, battery and the Brose app, the drives form a perfectly coordinated system, enabling a particularly harmonious riding experience.