“Doug Wolma has been a leading light in the reman industry for several years and we welcome him on board.” said Chairman William Schwarck. “He will bring a lot of additional expertise to our panel of judges, on a practical and theoretical level, and we greatly appreciate his willingness to invest his time and vast experience in strengthening the panel.”

Doug Wolma, a well-known character in the US reman industry, left his position as Global Remanufacturing Manager at Meritor to take up a new position within the Dana Holding Corporation. At Meritor, Wolma was a driving force behind the company’s rise as one of the world’s foremost remanufacturing companies. He will now be responsible for driving Dana’s expansion into remanufacturing.

The Remanufacturer of the Year Award was founded in 2005 by ReMaTecNews, and is now in its 10th year. The prize is awarded to a person or business that has served the automotive or heavy-duty remanufacturing industry with particular distinction. Over its lifetime the award has celebrated the achievements of some of the reman industry’s prominent names. Within the industry it is considered a major accolade.

For the first time, the 2014 Remanufacturer of the Year Award ceremony will take place in the US on November 1st during the new Big R/ReMaTecUSA exhibition in Las Vegas. Schwarck says there are two reasons for this choice: “One is our wish to mark the beginning of a new stage in the relations between the organizers of the world’s two largest reman events: ReMaTec and APRA. The other is that the increasing globalization of remanufacturing will, inevitably, lead to closer links across the Atlantic as well as across the world. Therefore, it is only fitting that the world’s most prestigious distinction in remanufacturing is also awarded outside its original home in Europe.”

The other three judges are Volker Schittenhelm of FIRM, the European Association of Engine Rebuilders, Fernand Weiland, a former Chairman of APRA Europe and William Schwarck, Chairman of the panel and Editor-in-Chief of ReMaTecNews. The application deadline for the award is September 15th. For more information about judging criteria and guiding principles, visit www.bigrrematecusa.com.