Innovative Mechatronics Group (IM Group) are a market leader in the remanufacture of automotive electronic components. The company is in daily dialogue with mechanics to identify emerging opportunities for growth. One such opportunity is the remanufacture and improvement of hybrid vehicle ABS modules.
Through extensive market research, IM Group engineers were quick to discover that ABS modules in some of Australia’s most popular hybrid electric vehicles are failing after 100,000 kilometres. The original equipment manufacturer has limited distribution of replacement parts to its own dealer network and charges more than two thousand dollars for a new unit. In addition, these replacement units typically need replacement again after 18 months. As owners of many hybrid vehicles, taxi and corporate fleet operators were looking for ways to reduce the ongoing cost of replacement parts and to ensure the safe operation of their fleet vehicles.
IM Group’s mechatronics specialists took the challenge by re-engineering the original equipment product. The company’s R&D efforts have created a product that not only matches genuine performance, but also significantly extends the useful life of the replacement parts. These longer-lasting remanufactured components cost less than one-third of the original equipment parts, thus saving fleet companies thousands in replacement parts each year.
Customer feedback on IM Group’s remanufactured parts has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, global automotive remanufacture players have expressed interest in importing IM Group’s solution for their home markets. Millions of hybrid vehicles that fit these ABS modules have been sold worldwide. In Australia alone, more than 90,000 of such hybrid vehicles are on the road today. IM Group are buoyed by early demand for remanufactured ABS modules for hybrid vehicles and continue to pursue opportunities.