Release Announcement

I'm happy to announce the release of The Answer Book, a companion tutorial to the textbook, Solutions to Obsolescence: Remanufacturing, Retrofitting & Refurbishing. It is printed in full premium colors on better quality papers so the price will be slightly higher, but still affordable. I have paired these two books as a collection. You can read the book series description by clicking on this link.

To order these books, just click on their respective book covers displayed on the right column of this blog post, which will bring you to the Amazon website. As of now, Amazon still maintains the price of the textbook at the promotion price, but I'm not sure how long that offer will last. So grab a copy while you can.

 

About Me and My Works

I'm almost done with the Answer Book, a companion tutorial to the Solutions to Obsolescence book. I've included an About the Author write-up, which is really a description of my journey and what motivates me:

Hopefully, readers who are considering to take up the obsolescence challenge, or are already involved in such endeavors, will find the two-set volume useful. The Answer Book will likely be released by next week, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Take care and stay safe, my friends.

Ps: The promotional price for Solutions to Obsolescence is ending soon. Please order your copy if you haven't done so. No request will be entertained after that.

Repair, New, or Refurbished?

Question: 

Your plant has a 15-year-old conveyor motor that fails every 4 months. Each repair costs $300. A new motor costs $2,500. A refurbished motor (from a specialist) costs $1,200 with a 1-year warranty. Which path do you choose? What data would change your answer? 

Answer: 

Given: 15 years old, fails every 4 months → 3 failures/year × $300 = 900/year. New = $2,500; Refurbished = $1,200 with 1-year warranty. 

Simple payback (repair vs. refurbished): 

Current annual repair cost = $900.  
Refurbished cost $1,200.  
Payback = 1.33 years.  

After 1 year, warranty covers failures. From year 2 onward, assume refurbished failure rate is similar to current (3 failures/year) → another $900/year. Still cheaper than $2,500 for new. 

Decision: Choose refurbished motor based on current data. 

What data would change answer? 

▪ If the conveyor is a production bottleneck where downtime cost is >$500/hour → new motor (higher reliability) may be justified. 

▪ If the refurbisher's warranty excludes labor, adding $150/failure for installation → refurbished TCO rises. 

▪ If the motor is obsolete and refurbisher uses scavenged parts with unknown remaining life → avoid. 

▪ If new motor efficiency is 10% better, then electricity savings alone could favor new motor over 5+ years.

 

When to Choose Which?

Sample tutorial question and answer:

Question: 

Under what conditions would you recommend refurbishing over remanufacturing for a fleet of industrial power tools? 

Answer: 

Refurbishing is recommended over remanufacturing when: 

• The core structure and motor remain within original tolerances, but only wear items (brushes, switches, grips, bearings) need replacement. 

• Downtime is critical—refurbishing is faster because it avoids full disassembly to the last screw. 

• The tools are not yet discontinued by the OEM, so replacement parts are still standard. 

• The goal is cost containment with moderate extension of useful life (1-2 additional cycles), rather than bringing the tool to "like-new" performance. 

• The fleet is large and identical, allowing batch processing of common wear parts without requiring full rebuild of every subassembly.

 

STO Answer Book

Here's the book blurb I've crafted for the upcoming Answer Book, which is really a companion tutorial to Solutions to Obsolescence (STO):

The Answer Book is the companion every reader of Solutions to Obsolescence needs. It takes the 15 chapters of the main textbook and turns each set of discussion questions into a working session. You’ll find not just answers, but the reasoning pathways—the trade‑offs, the numbers, the risk calculations, and the contract clauses that separate a confident retrofit specialist from a hesitant one.

From TCO showdowns (new vs. refurbished lighting ballasts) to ethical dilemmas (third‑party remanufactured medical devices) to nitty‑gritty engineering (inertia ratios, thermal spray coatings, and VFD inrush currents), this book walks you through the decisions that obsolescence experts face daily.

Whether you’re a plant engineer, a remanufacturing line manager, a procurement professional, or a student of circular economy, the Answer Book will cement the concepts—and give you the scripts, formulas, and checklists to apply them immediately.

• TCO calculations for real-world decisions
• Root cause analysis for warranty returns
• Scripts for plant manager conversations

No fluff. No evasion. Just solutions. 

A Companion Book in the Works...

Readers who have recently purchase the book Solutions to Obsolescence would no doubt have noticed the discussion questions posed at the end of every chapter. Questions are a means to help readers understand and solidify what they have read. 

This is also a departure from my usual style of writing, since remanufacturing was new to me when I started out to learn the subject through researching and writing. It has tremendously enabled me to not just know how the three R's are interrelated to solving obsolescence, but also appreciate the dynamics between them in ways I did not preceive before.

Again, besides a visual aid like the book cover above, I will need a book blurb to help me focus on my writing. I anticipate that this will be a smaller workbook than the textbook, but it will no less be as informative and practical with many full-colored illustrations. I hope to finish and publish it in 3-4 weeks' time, if schedule allow.

So stay tune for more updates...

 

Release Announcement!

If you have been following the progress of my latest book writing attempt, you will be delighted to know that it has just been released and is available for order on Amazon KDP.

The book is currently available as paperback in full-color edition. It will also be available as hard cover in full-color, but because Amazon's hard cover does not support 8" x 10" format, I will need to adjust the manuscript to fit the nearest available size. This will take some time so if you can't wait, then order the paperback.

Printing in full-color is much more costly (3-4 times that of black on white), so I cannot sell at the normal low price like I did for the other engineering books. But I have kept the price as afforable as I can—for now as goodwill and promotion period, with a minimum royalty margin. So get this book as soon as you can. Click on the book cover to go to the Amazon order page.

The hard cover edition should be available in 3-4 weeks time but it will be more costly as I intend to use premium colors for this book format (first time trying). Still, I hope to keep the price below $100 (USD, of course).

That's all for the update, for now...

Ps: There will not be a Kindle ebook edition (at least not in the near foreseeable future).

The Final Lap...

I'm into the final lap of writing my seventh engineering book—the three R's of Solutions to Obsolescence. These include Appendices (Comparison Matrices, Glossary of Terms, and Strategy Selection Card), Acknowledgements, and a comprehensive Index for better reference.

I intend to just release a full-color, hard cover edition. It will not be as "affordable" as the other engineering books but I will keep the price below $100, if possible. Color printed books are not cheap to begin with, and for Amazon KDP it can come up to 3-4 times that of plain black and white print edition.

But I assure you, my readers, that it will be worth every cent to get a copy of this book when it is ready. The amount of work put in to ensure quality content and images are definitely not mesasured in dollars and cents.

I look forward to your support, through purchase and by word-of-mouth recommendations. It's been a grilling yet rewarding journey for the past couple of months. I believe there will be more engineering books to follow, if things work out for my collaborations with ASTER and the Singapore Army.

So stay tune for new updates.

Economic Modeling

After all the technical assessments—voltage, protocols, inertia, safety—one question remains. 

"Does this retrofit make financial sense?" 

Engineers often treat economics as someone else's problem. That is a mistake. The engineer who can build a credible economic model is the engineer who gets projects approved. The reason is obvious: Economics is not the only driver for retrofits, but it is almost always the first question asked.

For that, we need the tools to answer the following questions with rigor: 

▪ How do we calculate simple payback and return on investment (ROI)? 

▪ How can we model energy savings (the most common retrofit driver)? 

▪ How to account for productivity gains, maintenance reductions, and avoided downtime? 

▪ How do we handle uncertainty and risk in economic models? 

▪ How can we navigate incentives, grants, and carbon accounting?

In the upcoming book: Solutions to Obsolescence, I will try to address these questions and more. 

The Five Compatibility Domains

A retrofit that works is a triumph of engineering efficiency. A retrofit that fails—spectacularly or subtly—is a reminder that old and new systems do not always play well together. The difference is risk assessment performed before the first wire is cut. 

A systematic framework for identifying, evaluating, and mitigating the technical risks of retrofitting is therefore essential. It covers the five critical compatibility domains where old and new systems interact, namely: 

1. Electrical (voltage, current, power quality) 
2. Signal and protocol (communications) 
3. Physical (space, mounting, thermal) 
4. Mechanical (loads, dynamics, wear)
5. Safety (risk migration, integrity levels)

The Venn diagram above provides a visual representation of the five domains in their overlapping relationships. For each domain, the three areas of concern are failure modes, assessment methods, and mitigation strategies.

The Three Drivers of Retrofitting

Retrofitting is not a single activity with a single motivation. It is driven by three distinct forces, often in combination. 

Driver 1: Energy Efficiency 

The most common retrofit driver worldwide. Existing buildings and machines consume energy at levels that would be unacceptable in new installations. Retrofitting can close the gap. 

Driver 2: Functional Modernization (Industry 4.0 / Smart Systems) 

The factory of the future is connected. Sensors, data analytics, predictive maintenance, 

and remote monitoring are becoming standard. But replacing all existing equipment to gain these capabilities is economically impossible.

Driver 3: Safety and Compliance 

Regulations change. A machine that was perfectly safe when built may no longer meet modern standards. Retrofitting can add safety features without replacing the entire machine.

Compliance driver: OSHA, EPA, or local regulations may require upgrades. Retrofitting is often the lowest-cost path to compliance. 

The Paradox of Obsolescence

Consider two machines: 

Machine A is twenty-five years old. Its mechanical systems—the frame, the bearings, the gears, the hydraulic cylinders—are in excellent condition. It was overbuilt in an era when steel was cheap and engineers added safety factors of five or more. This machine will probably outlive its operators. 

But its control system is a relic. The programmable logic controller (PLC) comes from a manufacturer that went out of business fifteen years ago. The user interface is a monochrome screen with a membrane keypad. There is no data port, no network connection, no way to monitor its performance remotely. Replacement parts for the control system are unobtainable except from scavenged units. 

Machine B is brand new. It has a sleek touchscreen interface, cloud connectivity, predictive maintenance algorithms, and energy-optimized servo drives. But its frame is lighter, its bearings are smaller, and its expected service life is ten years—not twenty-five. 

Which machine is more valuable? 

The answer depends entirely on what you value.  

If you need cutting-edge functionality and connectivity, Machine B wins. If you need durability and long-term reliability, Machine A's mechanical bones are superior—but its obsolete brain holds it back.

Retrofitting resolves this paradox. It takes the durable bones of Machine A and gives them the brain of Machine B. The result: a machine that is both durable and modern. 

 

Why Retrofitting Matters

 

Three converging trends have made retrofitting more relevant today than at any point in the last 50 years. 

Trend 1: The Longevity of Physical Assets 

Industrial machinery, commercial buildings, and heavy equipment are built to last 30, 40, or even 50 years. A bridge or a stamping press does not wear out quickly. But the controls that run them—the sensors, controllers, and software—become obsolete every 5 to 10 years. The physical asset has decades of life left. The brain needs an upgrade. Retrofitting connects the two. 

Trend 2: The Energy Efficiency Imperative 

Existing buildings and machines are responsible for a massive share of global energy consumption. Retrofitting—adding LED lighting, variable frequency drives (VFD), smart thermostats, and insulation—is often the fastest, most cost-effective way to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that retrofitting existing buildings could reduce global CO₂ emissions by 30% by 2030—at lower cost than new construction. 

Trend 3: The Digital Transformation of Industry (Industry 4.0) 

Factories are becoming connected. Sensors, data analytics, and predictive maintenance are no longer optional. But replacing a $500,000 machine to gain connectivity is uneconomical. Retrofitting—adding IoT sensors, edge computers, and communication gateways—turns "dumb" machines into smart ones for a fraction of the replacement cost. 

Leave a comment and let me know what you think...

Retrofitting

Retrofitting is the process of adding new features, components, or systems to an existing product—features that were not part of the original design. One of the most significant retrofitting project I've done in my twenty-fives years with ST Electronics is upgrading the disc drive system on the RADCOM test station for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

Believe it or not, the RADCOM test programs—the very heart of its ability to diagnose E-2C avionics—were stored on magnetic cartridges. Not hard drives as we know them today. Not solid-state memory. Magnetic cartridges, about the size of a three-stacked 15-inch pizza, mounted in an HP7906 disc drive and run off an HP1000 host computer.

Over time, the disc access heads of the HP7906 drive built up ferrite dirt. Microscopic particles, accumulated through normal operation, clinging to the heads that read the magnetic media. And when those dirty heads passed over the cartridges, they could cause a head crash—the read head literally scraping against the magnetic surface, scratching it, destroying the data.

It happened more often than anyone liked. Cartridges that had worked for years suddenly became unreadable. Scrap. Trash. Years of test programs, lost to a few microns of ferrite dust. The RSAF was desperate. They had approached Grumman Aerospace—the original equipment manufacturer—for help. Grumman came back with an interim upgrade solution. Price tag: 1.5 million US dollars.

The RSAF project manager reached out to us. After researching for alternative solutions, we decided on the magneto-optical (MO) drive. It uses laser and magnetic technology together, writing data to discs that were far more robust than magnetic cartridges. No head crashes. No ferrite dirt. No scratched media. More importantly, it could be configured to emulate older storage devices. To the host computer, it would look exactly like an HP7906 disc drive. The system wouldn't know the difference. The test programs would load and run exactly as before.

Over the following months, we transferred hundreds of test programs from their vulnerable cartridges to the robust MO discs. Each migration was verified. Each program was tested. By the end, the entire RADCOM test suite lived on media that wouldn't scratch, wouldn't crash, wouldn't fail. 

The cost to the RSAF? Less than half of what Grumman had asked.

The project manager called me after the final acceptance to personally thank me. I appreciated the sentiment. But the real reward was seeing those MO drives spin up day after day, month after month, never losing a single byte of data.

Another obsolescence issue resolved—this time through retrofitting.

Ps: You can read the details and more in my latest book, A Memoir of Electronics, Discoveries, and a Life Less Ordinary by clicking on the book title.

What's the Difference?

Since I'm setting out to write a book about the three R's, it's worth establishing a clear boundary at the outset. (see above table)

Refurbishing is the most accessible of the three strategies: 

• It requires no specialized tooling (screwdrivers, cleaning supplies, basic test equipment) 
  
• It can be performed in a small workshop or even a garage 
• It has the lowest barrier to entry for small businesses and entrepreneurs 
• It delivers value quickly (days, not weeks)

Refurbishing is also the most scalable in terms of volume. A remanufacturing line for automotive engines is a capital-intensive operation. A refurbishing line for laptops can be set up in a warehouse with rented tables and hired labor. 

And refurbishing is often the only economically viable strategy for low-to-medium value products. No one remanufactures a $50 coffee maker. But thousands of coffee makers are refurbished every day. In short, refurbishing works because it aligns economic incentives with life extension. It is not charity. It is good business. 

 

The Three R's Relationships

The relationships between the three R's can be quite intricate for the uninitiated to the world of obsolescence. So I've created a simple venn diagram to illustrate their intertwining similarities and differences.

As a first cut, I've come up with a preliminary paragraph for my book blurb:

Obsolescence is not the end—it’s an opportunity.

Every year, millions of tons of equipment—from industrial machinery and medical devices to electronics and building systems—are discarded not because they have failed, but because they are “outdated.” In an era of supply chain fragility, rising material costs, and mounting environmental pressure, the ability to extend product life is no longer a niche skill—it is a strategic imperative.

I will not divulge much on what I intend to cover as there are still grey areas that need to be sorted out. In fact, writing on a topic of this magnitude can be quite a challenge. Perhaps if I have the opportunity to explore further with ASTER's business model and process, it will become clearer what direction the book should take.

Until then...

The Three R's in the Work

I've spent a couple of days designing the front cover for my next engineering book. I decided that the best way to accelerate and build my knowledge on the subject of remanufacturing is to write a book on it, alongside two others I'm familiar with—refurbishing and retrofitting. Hence the title of the book.

Back in 2009, my former company had sponsored me to attend a course "Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS)" conducted by Donald Seger. This was in view of the threat of obsolescence stemming from a shortage of critical electronic components and the importance of stocking up based on predict forecast of the repair works we were doing.

On hindsight, it was an eye-opening experience though I did not link it to the three R's as the plausible Solution to Obsolescence. Now that I revisited the subject after my eventful visit to the ASTER facilities, I'm beginning to see how all these things tie up.

As usual, I will need to write a book blurb to keep me focus on what I want to write. Chapter outline will then follow, subject to changes as the work progresses, of course. It will be both interesting and challenging. And I suspect it will take me beyond electronics—well into the broader industries facing this same problem.

We'll see how it goes...

Solutions to Obsolescence

My recent visit to ASTER has set me thinking about the problem of obsolescene, not just in the electronics industry but other sectors as well—commercial and military.

Granted, in my previous company I had taken on several jobs by the military to address their obsolescence concern, albeit on a smaller, customized scale, which included refurbishing and retrofitting their aging equipment. But ASTER has up the ante by doing remanufacturing—which is on an institutional scale.

It's not hard to see that there are three options to the obsolescence problem:

1. Refurbishing
2. Retrofitting
3. Remanufacturing

So which option is suitable? That depends on the kind of issue you have on hand. If it's just  low-cost cosmetic and basic functional restoration, then refurbishing is the way to go. If it's adding new features to an old platform, retrofitting would fit the bill. But if you want to return a high-value asset to like-new reliability with a full warranty, consider remanufacturing—but be prepared to fork out cash.

In other words, refurbishing is the light-weight solution, retrofitting provides strategic upgrades, while remanufacturing entails deep industrial processes.