Hardware Support providers see benefit of repair

Why now is this having a larger impact than ever?

Hardware Support providers see the benefits of repair.  Why now is this having a larger impact than ever?  We’re all aware of the global supply chain issues and not only within the ICT sector.  Some of the largest IT manufacturers are quoting lead times of over 12 months on the supply of new products.

The pandemic has fuelled supply chain issues.  Sanctions on countries that play a key role in semiconductor raw material supplies have further exacerbated the issue.  Also, demand is simply outstripping supply.  However, it’s not all doom and gloom, there is a simple & proven solution that needs to be promoted; ‘Repair’.

Financial pressures

Over the last decade, competitive pressures on company finances have forced TPMs & Support Providers to adopt certain behaviours, such as; the reduction of spare-part inventory, and the use of just-in-time supply.  Many maintenance providers’ processes are to scrap & recycle failed parts.  The issue with this philosophy is we are depleting parts to return to the supply chain, for future service calls.  This only serves to further compound the issue.  Ultimately it will drive up the costs of parts as they become harder to locate.

The SIA (Service Industry Association) is also trying to promote best practices across the TPM and service industry through its regular regional & annual networking meetings.

The current state

Unfortunately, OEMs, looking to grow profits, have only fuelled the issue by designing products that are not repair-friendly.  Typically, this is done by locking devices with secure software & code or simply using materials in production that prohibit repair (like the use of resins).  Organisations, such as The Repair Association & Free ICT Europe, are lobbying global policymakers and governments to create legislation to prevent restrictive practices and promote a fair and sustainable market.

Is a better system possible?

The solution is to locate a repair specialist who possesses the appropriate skills.  There are many organisations across the globe that can do just that, from Tape Drives to PCB rework, cache batteries to POS (Point-of-Sale).  Many of these repair providers also offer Advance-Exchange programs, which enable that just-in-time cost-saving ideology but ensure the defective part re-enters the repair loop to promote reuse.

The reality is, that if we don’t repair it, we’ll simply run out of parts.  We must keep the repair sector ecosystem alive.  Repair also yields other benefits from a sustainability perspective; reuse is significantly better than recycling for our environment with a reduction in e-waste. Hardware Support providers seeing the benefit of repair, have adopted strong reuse and repair ethos are now seeing the benefits.

Gentronics Solutions provide a full range of Data Centre equipment-focused repair services. Find out more here.