Calling All Users of Reman Products

Did you know…

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that remanufacturing is not the same as refurbishing?

There are a variety of re-terms such as refurbishing, reconditioning, reusing, repurposing, repairing. They all play a role in the circular economy, but each has its own process. Remanufacturing is the most rigerous of these processes, which is an important reason for the standard to differentiate it from the others.

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that standards help to provide a uniform language?

RIC001.1-2016 includes definitions of 10 remanufacturing terms. Many of these were heavily debated when the standard was first created because the terms were being used differently in various places. The standard helps to unify the language so that the entire industry is on the same page.

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that the reman standard covers the process of remanufacturing and not the products?

There is an important distinction in these terms. Because remanufacturing returns a product to “like-new” or “better-than-new” condition, the remanufactured product should meet the same safety and quality specifications as a new product. Therefore, RIC001.1-2016 does not address these aspects of manufacturing. Instead the standard specifies the steps that a product must go through to ensure that it follows a process rigerous enough to be called remanufactured.

The Role of the Consensus Body

The Remanufacturing Consensus Body plays an important role in the standards development process. It is this body that is responsible for approving the standard. This is done through a series of meetings to discuss the draft standard, followed by a ballot process to collect the votes of all members of the Consensus Body. You can read more details about the process here.

One of the important features of the Consensus Body is that it has balanced representation of all stakeholders. RIC has defined its interest categories as follows:

  • Producer – An individual employed by or otherwise representing an organization that remanufactures products or components shall be classified as a Producer. Producer organizations may remanufacture products and components for their own use or to sell to other end-users.
  • User – An individual employed by or otherwise representing an organization that purchases or uses remanufactured products or components shall be classified as a User. Original equipment manufacturers may remanufacture products and components for their own use, as well as to sell to other end-users.
  • General Interest – General members are neither Producers nor Users. This category includes, but is not limited to, educators, researchers, representatives of government agencies, business associations, and technical societies.

Revising RIC001.1-2016: We Need Your Help

RIC is in the process of revising RIC001.1-2016 for publication in 2022. The application process began in the fall for participation in the Consensus Body. The general application period has closed, but there are still a few spots for Users and General Interest participants. It is imporant that these spots are filled to ensure the balanced representation of the Consensus Body. RIC will continue to accept applications in these categories even once the Consensus Body has begun to meet, until an equal balance is reached or balloting begins, whichever comes first. (Representation of interest categories is not required to be exactly equal for balloting to proceed, but our aim is to get as close as possible.)

If you have questions about participating in the Consensus Body, please contact Michelle Hayes at mhayes@remancouncil.org.

Apply to Participate in the Consensus Body