The electrifying growth and current state of TVH’s Electronics Department
This year, TVH’s Electronics Department celebrates its 20th birthday. But those two decennia saw a lot of change. What started out as a relatively small division of eight people has evolved into a bustling department with more than 120 colleagues. That growth was driven by, among other things, the various services that the Electronics Department provides, of which the most important one is remanufacturing electronic parts. We had a chat with TVH Expert Lorenz Verfaillie, Director Electronics International and part of the Electronics Team since the very beginning.
About the expert
Lorenz Verfaillie began his career at TVH in 1996 as an Electronics Engineer. During his 25+ years at the company, he has played an important role in the development and growth of the Electronics Department. He can be regarded as the key decision-maker and architect of the department since he oversaw the recruitment of extra colleagues and the development of several repair teams, a Purchasing & Business Development team and an R&D and Quality team. Since 2018, he is Director Electronics International.
Rapidly growing department
In only 20 years, the humble beginnings of the Electronics Department have turned into one of TVH’s fastest-growing departments.
More people
“Our total number of employees is perhaps the best indicator of how rapidly the department has expanded in two decennia”, Lorenz begins. “In 2003, we started with eight employees. About ten years after the official launch, we could count 35 employees. But only three years later, in 2016, that number had almost doubled, with over 60 technicians. Today, there are more than 120 colleagues in the Electronics Team. And there are still open vacancies.”
More space
“As we took on more activities and the Electronics Team expanded, we also needed more space. In 2012, we moved into a new building with a state-of-the-art lab of 3.500 m². There, our engineers work in an ESD-safe zone – also known as EPA or electrostatic protected area – that meets all requirements for the processing of electronic parts. But we fear that the facility might burst at the seams again soon. That’s why we moved into new office spaces in August of 2022, as a temporary measure to accommodate the expected growth of our department. In fact, there are even bigger plans for the future with a completely new building, but there’s not much I can reveal about that yet”, Lorenz teases.
Core services
Thanks to all those colleagues, the Electronics Department can offer a plethora of services.
Remanufacturing parts
“One of our key activities is remanufacturing electronic parts to give them a second life”, Lorenz states. “All remanufactured parts get the same warranty as new ones but come at a lower price. Of course, they are also of the same top quality as new parts. That quality is guaranteed by our in-house technicians, who remanufacture and test all parts according to strict standards. Among the parts that we remanufacture in the Electronics Department, we offer printed circuit boards, motor controllers, displays, joysticks, accelerators, directional switches, battery chargers, and more. You can browse these and other parts in our online shop.”
"Each year, we remanufacture no less than 50 000 parts!” Lorenz reveals. “That figure is mainly made up of service exchange parts, but we also provide custom repairs. If you are confronted with a faulty part in a machine, you can ask for an exchange part or you can send in your part for repair. Customers who live close to our headquarters in Waregem can even stop at our counter to deliver their defective parts directly to us.”
Sustainability and circular economy
“At TVH, we highly value sustainability and environmental friendliness. We are firm believers in the circular economy and are convinced that waste should be avoided at all costs. That is why, rather than discarding malfunctioning or broken parts, we always try to remanufacture them first. Following the Cradle to Cradle concept, we keep our remanufactured parts from landfills and hence avoid producing more parts and consuming even more raw materials”, Lorenz explains. “And if we find that a part cannot be remanufactured, then we recycle it in the correct way so that its resources can be reused.”
Electric System Design
“Within the Electronics Department, we also have a dedicated Electrical System Design team to support electrification projects”, Lorenz shares. “The team is specialised in providing electrical and electronic products as well as technical support during the development or upgrade of electrical applications. We are primarily aiming at small and medium-sized original equipment manufacturers who do not have the necessary resources or knowledge for that development. Using our technical expertise in the field, TVH can assist in the design of the electrical system from design to prototyping and production, Moreover, we can offer all the necessary, sometimes customised, parts.”
Rental service
"Finally, the Electronics Department also provides a Diagnostic tool rental service. If you only occasionally need a diagnostic tool, which is often quite expensive, then renting it is a good idea. Contact us, and we will check how we can help.”
The importance of test benches
“To remanufacture and repair parts, it’s crucial to have the right tools at hand. The most important tools in the Electronics Department are our test benches. Drawing on years of experience, we created those innovative testing procedures ourselves and are constantly working on their further development. The test benches allow us to accurately detect faults or defects since their diagnoses are always comprehensive and correct. In that way, each repaired and remanufactured part that has been tested is always of high quality”, Lorenz points out.
Brands
“We repair electronic parts for all major brands, such as Aichi, Caterpillar, Deutz-Fahr, Fendt, Genie, Grove, Haulotte, JLG, Jungheinrich, Komatsu, Linde, Manitou, Still, Upright … To guarantee the quality of those electronic parts, our electronic technicians are specialised in a selection of specific brands about which they have an optimal knowledge. In addition, each technician is supported by the Research & Development team.”
“That thorough way of working has led to several meaningful collaborations”, Lorenz elaborates. “For instance, TVH is a Curtis distributor and the Curtis Authorized Repair Centre for Europe. In a similar way, we are an official Sevcon distributor and are an Authorised Repair Centre for that brand. We are also the global aftermarket partner for the sale of new parts and the authorised repair and remanufacturing centre for SME. These are only some of the many partnerships we have set up with part manufacturers. Naturally, we want to continue with that way of working and are aiming for even more collaborations in the future.”
Ready for more?
- Browse and buy electronic and remanufactured parts in our online shop
- Read all about the Electronics Department in the ‘Electronics Department’ brochure
- Interested in having a faulty part fixed? Place your repair order here.
- We buy your old electronic parts! Sounds interesting? Complete our ‘Core purchase’ document and email it to us.
- Please feel free to contact us if you have any other questions.
About the authors
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