Remanufacturing Return Flow Platform with SKF

Opportunity overview

The current process of sending the used SKF bearings for remanufacturing, delivering remanufactured bearings back to customers and payment processing, can be cumbersome, time-consuming, and needs more transparency. The perceived complexity and inconvenience of the process creates friction in terms of customer demand for remanufacturing as a service. Additionally, the communication channels used between SKF and the customer regarding practical matters in the remanufacturing process are deemed to add to the challenge.

We aim to enable a smoother return flow for SKF bearings and create a seamless end-to-end customer experience. To achieve this, we wish to explore a traceability service or software platform as a potential solution. This platform would facilitate two-way communications between SKF and customers, providing near real-time updates on the bearing's journey, including pick-up schedules and delivery. Customers could also integrate with the API for freight companies to simplify pick-up. The ideal partner would be a next-generation technology partner to develop a platform offering SKF customers relevant information, eliminating customers needing to search for it themselves.

Summary of requested solution

The solution we are looking for should enhance customer experience making remanufacturing the first choice of action. It should be as easy to send, keep track of and receive a remanufactured bearing as buying a new one.

Moreover, customers should be able to specify and be aware of who handles their products and how and when to return them. By acting upon the usage data, SKF can improve offerings and efficiency in operations and enhance the customer experience. The overall goal is to make remanufacturing easy for customers by solving reverse logistics and communications challenges related to the service.