There are many terms for overhauling printing equipment. Buzzwords such as reconditioned, rebuilt, refurbished, and remanufactured are mentioned throughout our industry. E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., uses the term re-manufactured because it best illustrates our processing of equipment.

What does remanufacturing mean to both E.R. Smith Associates, Inc., and its customers? The remanufacturing process brings worn out, tired, and problematic machinery to a condition, which is better than when originally purchased.

The key to our remanufacturing is our understanding of our customer’s requirements. The process is born from our recognition of the customer’s application and how to help him improve his overall system. These improvements to the overall system can lead to greater press speeds and better durability of his remanufactured equipment. The greater speeds and less maintenance requirements will increase profits. The remanufacturing process is not just overhauling equipment, but changing and upgrading the equipment to meet the demands in today’s ever-changing marketplace. (See Enhancements)

The remanufacturing process is a partnership between E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., and its customers. Communication between firms is an essential part of the overall experience. E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., relies on our expert sales staff and pragmatic management team’s interaction with the customer’s pressroom supervisors, press operators, and maintenance departments to help formulate a program that best fits the customer’s needs.

Once a program has been developed through the cooperation and joint efforts of the E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., and their customer a detailed set of specifications is issued. The specifications are issued by E.R. Smith Associates, Inc., for customer approval. The specifications list in detail the characteristics of the remanufacturing program and all upgrades and modifications to the equipment. Upon customer approval the specifications become the standard operating guidelines for the remanufacturing process, thus eliminating any confusion about the outcome of the work being completed. (See Specifications)

The Process

The manufacturing process begins with the assigning of a project manager. E. R. Smith project managers are responsible for the administration of the entire process. Their responsibilities include scheduling, parts flow, and most importantly customer contact and service. The project manger is the central hub of communication and information regarding the entire remanufacturing process. This helps to streamline the process for the customer by enabling them to have a consistent flow of information. The project manager is the source of contact for the customer through the entire remanufacturing process from inception to final installation and for after market support. The customer will have continued contact in the future with a support figure who was intimately involved with the detailed specifications and the remanufacturing process. 

Once the equipment is sent to E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., it is staged on our 20,000 sq foot assembly area where our industry experienced assembly technicians begin the disassembly process. (As seen at left 954 prior to disassembly). The parts are systematically removed and staged on specially designated racks and carts. Parts are cleaned and first inspected by our trained assembly personnel to look for outward signs of wear or damage. The parts are stamped according to location and assembly and staged appropriately for transport to shipping.

The parts are then moved to our inspection department, which is extremely critical in our remanufacturing process. Each and every part that comes off of the units is inspected to the specification criteria. Unlike other rebuild organizations, E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., measures every part with certified tools and equipment. Any part not meeting the specification is rejected and scraped. 

E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., has a complete machine shop in a 15,000 square foot section of the building, which supports each remanufacture with state of the art turning centers, boring mill and lathes. Parts, which are not to specification, will be manufactured and replaced as required by E. R. Smith’s machine shop thus controlling costs for both parties involved. All parts manufactured by E.R. Smith Associates, Inc., will be inspected to specification and if they fall out of tolerance they will be rejected and re-made.

The parts manufactured by the machine shop and those cleaned by assembly will be married together in our specially designed rack system and categorized by assembly and bill of material. When the parts requirements are met to complete a specific assembly, the remanufacturing process will enter the reconstruction phase. All parts will then be reassembled into the machines holding to the requirements of the specification. 

Upon completion of the construction phase of the remanufacturing process, the units will be tested for performance. The performance is once again based on the customer specifications and E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., is responsible for achieving and maintaining that criteria. E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., has rigorous bolt check and quality control measures, which are signed off on by experienced assembly technicians prior to the units shipping to the customer. We encourage customer visits throughout the remanufacturing process to observe our systems and quality control measures. We welcome any feedback and have a company goal to meet customers’ satisfaction.

The units and equipment will be shipped from E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., in the order and means dictated to us by the specification and a field service technician will be assigned to oversee the startup of the equipment. The field service technician is an experienced assembly technician who will attempt to remedy any issues during startup and will act as a liaison between E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., and the customer. 

The remanufacturing process at E. R. Smith Associates, Inc., is a complete experience. The customer support and service begins during the inception phase and runs clear past the installation in the form of contact with personnel who’ve experienced the cycle from start to finish. We have experience in many disciplines within the printing industry and look forward to helping you tailor a program, which will help to suit your needs in our ever-changing business.

View Before and After Photos. Click Here!