Shawn Zwicker, Leader of New Business Development at Cummins, will speak on "Embracing the Future" at the opening session of the International Big R Show
at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel on Oct. 31.

Environmental concerns and increasing fuel costs are impacting the design and overall operation of today's high-tech diesel engines, and creating pressure to design engines that are increasingly lighter and more compact while at the same time much more environmentally friendly. In addition to overall engine design these same pressure points will push the replacement of traditional components to mechatronic components which are lighter, smaller and more energy efficient.

According to Zwicker, these changes will challenge the remanufacturing industry to evaluate its traditional salvage techniques.

"Many common techniques that have been reliable for years may no longer be viable. The margin or excess of material that once existed on diesel engines may no longer be available. These facts coupled with customer preference to restore engines to 100 percent original engineering specifications will pressure the industry to evolve from a 'remove metal' industry to a 'deposit metal' industry," he says. "Remanufacturing factories will need to be able to do this in a high volume production manner."

Zwicker has more than 18 years of plant manufacturing experience. He has been on the O.E. side of the business as well as the reman business. He has spent the last eight years working in remanufacturing with the Cummins ReCon organization.