Carwood

Remanufacturing innovation

In an industry where knowledge and experience are highly valued, Carwood represents a proven manufacturing partner with a strong in-house production team and a loyal customer base across several market sectors

Established in August 1966 within the fields of remanufacturing and distributing specialist vehicle components from the city of Coventry – a major industrial centre for the UK automotive manufacturing industry. During the following years the business has continued to grow both organically and through several strategic acquisitions, while always retaining a fully customer-orientated approach. This has enabled Carwood to further expand its market presence through the introduction of innovative solutions within the markets for defence; diesel systems; parts and distribution; remanufacturing; technology services; and turbochargers.

“Carwood today employs more than 250 dedicated professionals, with a large proportion of highly-skilled technical staff that excel in areas of expertise including remanufacturing and specialist services for diesel fuel injection, electrical components, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and turbochargers,” reveals General Manager, Anthony James. “From a diesel systems perspective we can supply remanufactured fuel pumps and injectors that cover a wide spectrum of automotive, commercial, off-highway, plant, marine, rail and military applications. We are presently affiliated with industry leaders including Bosch, Delphi, VDO, Denso and Stanadyne. We fit genuine original equipment (OE) parts, while utilising the latest OE test plans.” The Carwood Diesel Systems Birmingham facility remains at the forefront of diesel fuel injection remanufacturing services within both the UK and Europe. All of the company’s staff within this area are fully factory trained in the use of state-of-the-art test equipment, which utilises the latest OE test data, processes and procedures. During its history, the site has benefitted from major investments including a suite of 20 OE test benches and leading edge production assembly clean rooms that are certified to ISO 14644-1, Class 7.

Quality is further assured through full ISO 9001:2008 accreditation and the implementation of TS16949 technical specification aimed at the development of quality management systems. The Carwood quality system is fully compliant with OE requirements for production part approval process (PPAP) documentation, including engineering configurations, failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), control plans, process flow diagrams, initial sample inspection reporting (ISIR) and parts submission warranting. This on-going commitment to delivering first-class customer service solutions and the highest levels of quality has enabled Carwood to develop long-lasting relationships with some of the manufacturing market’s most established brands and aftermarket service providers. “We presently service the requirements of the likes of Jaguar Land Rover, Caterpillar, Perkins and JCB in the field of global remanufacturing programmes for diesel fuel injectors and pumps. For example, Carwood entered into an agreement with Hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Services in 2012 to provide diesel fuel systems (injectors and pumps) to the company’s UK based third-party vehicle maintenance providers. We are also presently contracted to provide mechanical service and repair to RAC vehicles operating within the Midlands region, via the 1Link trading platform,” Anthony says. “We further support UK and export customers via our dedicated sales team and are the preferred supplier to many of the country’s aftermarket suppliers from our base within the Midlands. This facility also enables us to support a multitude of local manufacturing and support networks.”

Across all of its operations Carwood delivers a comprehensive base of support solutions that extend from its dedicated local garage services at the company’s Coventry and Birmingham locations to extensive delivery and supply operations. These embody a vast array of solutions including:

• Account management for customers
• UK next day delivery
• 24-hour delivery to mainland Europe
• Worldwide delivery by air or sea
• Dedicated factory helpline
• Training programmes
• Bespoke ranges and branding
• Stock packages
• Free old core collection service
• Comprehensive quality systems and warranty administration
• Diesel research and development (R&D) services

Carwood maintains a strong focus on R&D operation, which enables the company to continually develop new solutions and maintain a full understanding of failure modes through on-going analytics and testing. “Research and development forms an integral part of our business and we are able to research into failure modes, which means that we can better support our customers via a strong technical services division,” Anthony explains. “This activity ensures that we are able to stay at the cutting edge of our industry – ensuring that we are the first to market with new technologies and we continue to work in conjunction with OE partners in this respect.”

During the coming years Carwood will continue to develop its operations through its dedicated customer services and innovative R&D operations, while addressing the challenges that currently exist within the manufacturing market. “A significant concern within the entire automotive industry is the current misconception surrounding diesel engine vehicles. There is a lot of misinformation relating to this issue that is currently being purported by many industrial commentators and politicians alike. Negative sound bites concerning diesel engines have had a very real impact on the perceptions of the general public, despite the fact that a Euro 6 diesel engine is actually cleaner than a petrol engine according to the SMMT Ltd 2017 CO2 Report,” Anthony concludes. “While we continue to respond to the challenges that exist within the industry we will target continued growth through greater exports and additional original equipment manufacturer (OEM) contract business. This will enable the company to achieve our desired growth in turnover over the next three years and we will also launch new concepts in line with our OE partners to support these plans.”

Carwood
Services: Remanufacturing, technical services, parts and distribution