Refurbishment Service

Overview
Benefits
Facts

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Industrial Reconditioning of Air Spring Systems

Regular maintenance of rail vehicle components is essential for compliance with high safety standards. At the same time, cost-effectiveness is a crucial criterion for the railway industry. But it does not always have to be a new system. As a globally renowned mobility expert, we recondition used air spring parts for trains, trams, and other industrial rail vehicles – to OEM quality.

How? Our refurbishment service makes it possible. With individual advice, our customers benefit from significantly lower costs and components with the corresponding warranty. In addition, this service prevents waste, cutting the product carbon footprint by over 30 percent. The amount of CO2 saved per air spring system is similar to the emissions of an airplane on the Hanover-London route. "We are committed to sustainability and helping our customers operate in an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective manner. So far, the feedback from our customers has been very positive", explains Vincent Sambo, Head of Off-Highway & Rail, IEMEA, at Continental. The facts speak for themselves: Continental’s refurbishment service is making the rail industry greener.

Benefits & Features

Reuse of intact components conserves resources, contributing to sustainability
Spare part components of OEM quality
Safety due to rigorous testing according to OEM requirements
Warranty on newly-installed components and system impermeability
High flexibility thanks to faster shipping
Custom carefree packages on request

Additional facts

Up to 50 percent faster in lead time
30 percent less costs on average
Reduces the product carbon footprint (PCF) by more than 30 percent
Saves up to 100 kilograms of new material

What is Refurbishment?

The refurbishment service involves dismantling used air spring systems and evaluating the reusability of components. These are cleaned, repainted, if necessary, and inspected. A new air bellow is fitted to the top plate and bead ring and then the system is mated to an auxiliary spring. Finally, our trained experts check the complete air spring system in a state-of-the-art testing machine. Once it has passed our inspection, we ship the reconditioned air spring system to the customer.

What are the advantages of reconditioning air springs?

Every few years, the time comes to replace components in trains and rails – including the secondary suspension. However, the purchase of spare parts is an expensive issue for rail vehicle operators and often components from used secondary suspension are still intact. With our refurbishment service, Continental installs new air bellows and necessary add-on parts to those reusable components, which is faster, more cost-effective, and protects the environment by preventing waste and conserving resources. In addition, refurbished air spring systems from Continental achieve the same service life expectancy as new parts, as the process meets the requirements of original equipment manufacturers.
Thanks to our experience in assessing and reconditioning used air spring systems, we can advise our customers individually on the ideal solution for their specific application. On request, we or our trained partners inspect the customer’s systems on site, take charge of all the logistics and develop standardized packaging solutions to transport the products safely.

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Refurbishment Service Factsheet

Related Awards

Outstanding: Our top suppliers in 2020