Every year since 2005, ReMaTecNews has awarded one of the remanufacturing industry’s most coveted accolades, the Remanufacturer of the Year Award, to an individual or a company that has served the reman industry with particular distinction. ReMaTecNews invites companies and individuals to nominate candidates for the 2017 award. The winner of the award will be announced during a ceremony at ReMaTec 2017, June 18-20 at RAI Amsterdam, the world’s largest remanufacturing trade exhibition.

Remanufacturer of the Year 2016 winner was Prof. Rolf Steinhilper. Since 2001, he has been instrumental in the advancement of remanufacturing research at the University Institute on Manufacturing and Remanufacturing and the Fraunhofer Initiative on Process Innovation.

During his long career in remanufacturing, Steinhilper has brought together many teams of expert engineers who have provided R&D support to the manufacturing and remanufacturing industries in Europe and worldwide. These hand-selected teams not only worked on projects for the institutes but later joined the reman industry and contributed to elevating remanufacturing to even higher levels.

“Rolf has allowed the reman industry to share his relevant R&D progress,” said Carsten Bücker, chairman of APRA Europe, who has worked on several projects with the institutes.

In an interview with Fernand Weiland, former chairman of APRA Europe and a member of the jury Professor Steinhilper commented on being honored with the award. “This award represents the peak of my career in remanufacturing, which started back in 1982 when I was a young engineer asked to speak at a pioneering conference at the world-famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),” Steinhilper recalls. “I was the only participant from Europe invited to make a presentation on design for remanufacturing. My talk was entitled ‘Remanufacturing: Remaking the Future.’”

Steinhilper added, “I think of remanufacturing as the enabling technology that will bring us to a future of renewable manufacturing and consumption patterns. Renewable power generation – like solar and wind energy – are booming, and remanufacturing deserves the same attention. That’s why I love and support it with such a passion.”

Nominations for 2017

Candidates will be evaluated on a number of criteria, such as technical excellence, commitment to quality, impact on the remanufacturing industry and customer service. Nominations should include a clear and reasoned explanation for the nomination as well as information on the nominees’ background, reman-related activities and achievements.The award seeks to honor those who have made a special contribution to the remanufacturing industry, an individual who has shown a continuous excellent performance or whose efforts have proven to make real difference ­to the industry or a specific industry segment.

Nominations can be sent to [email protected]. More information on the Remanufacturer of the Year Award, like judging criteria and guiding principles, can be found here.

Previous winners of the award also include industry icons like Søren Toft-Jensen, Jack Stack, Alan Smart and Doug Wolma, as well as many other respected industry figures.