Ponsse’s circular economy competence is particularly strong in the spare parts and used machine business. We sell and refurbish used machines in all our market areas and also spare parts in an increasing number of market areas. Used machines refurbished by professional mechanics can be updated using various performance packages to meet modern standards.

In addition to new parts, Ponsse provides its network with refurbished and reused spare parts. They support Ponsse’s goals of developing material efficiency and becoming carbon neutral. Recycled parts are an environmentally friendly option for forest machine maintenance, as we can effectively allocate resources tied to damaged spare parts to remanufacturing and reuse. In previous LCAs, the carbon footprint of a single remanufactured part was found to be a quarter smaller than that of a new part. Ponsse’s circular economy model has been developed based on the company’s needs to promote the conversion of material flows into usable format and reduce the consumption of raw materials.

During 2022, a total of 150,000 kg of spare parts were refurbished or delivered for reuse.

Pioneering the circular economy: Reman & Parts Recirculation

Ponsse has remanufactured spare parts for forest machines at the Reconditioning and assembly centre in Iisalmi since 2010. The focus is on the refurbishing of mechanical transmission parts, but the Reman range also includes hydraulic parts and forest machine informationsystems. The Spare parts reuse centre, established in 2020, is located in the immediate vicinity of the Reconditioning and assembly centre. It receives damaged parts from customers, the factory and the sales network, and assesses their reuse potentialfollowing the principles of the circular economy. Both units work in close cooperation with Ponsse's used machine services, in which used forest machines are maintained and updated to extend their lifecycle under the ownership of 2–4 new owners. When a machine finally reaches the end of its service life, it can be dismantled. Usable parts will be refurbished to make low-cost spare parts, while any unusable parts will be recycled as material. More than 90% of a forest machine’s weight constitutes recyclable material, mainly steel and cast iron.

In 2022, Ponsse expanded its refurbishing operations to local subsidiaries. As a result,
services are provided closer to customers, without needing to transport damaged parts over long distances for remanufacturing. Greenhouse gas emissions can also be reduced by minimising the amount of transported cargo. To support local refurbishing operations, Ponsse has developed refurbishing kits for various parts, consisting of the most typical components replaced during refurbishing.

We have studied the environmental impacts of refurbishing by using life cycle analysis, and the results support our circular economy objectives: compared to a new component, the carbon footprint of a refurbished component is smaller by a quarter. The better we are at reusing machine parts, the less emissions there will be from the machines during their entire life cycle.