Servicing Misaligned Connectors for Delphi 

The Client

Delphi Automotive, a leading global supplier of automotive technology, had an overwhelming demand for a reliable automotive remanufacturer to tackle additional inventory for Toyota product.

At the time, Delphi already relied on AER’s remanufacturing and distributing abilities for other large auto manufacturers, such as General Motors, so choosing AER to take on the additional Toyota inventory was a safe bet. Years later, the partnership was challenged when radio malfunctions and upset customers sparked a drastic remanufacturing need that lasted for 2 years.

While there was never an official recall for this issue, a substantial amount of radios needed repair. In the course of the Delphi J7 connector project, AER repaired an estimated 20,000 units during project peak alone, and over an estimated 50,000 total. AER’s solution was to remove the silver connector entirely and replace it with a gold plated connector to increase longevity, because gold is less likely to oxidize or corrode, and generally has a better conductive contact. Other components on the circuit boards were inspected and replaced if necessary for quality assurance.

The repair required a special jig to attach the new connector to the board correctly. The jig was provided by Delphi, however, AER had an additional jig manufactured by an external source to help meet production demands. AER’s scalable infrastructure absorbed the additional inventory for the J7 project with ease. AER ran three shifts to keep up with demand. The first shift was designated solely for repair, and the second and third shifts were designated for final product testing. The J7 project lasted approximately 2 years. While there was demand for the product in the following years, AER had enough inventory to warrant an end to production for the affected models.

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