Thorsten Runge, Vice President for Cycleon-Recare, is confident that integrating refurbishment and remarketing services will substantially accelerate the whole Returns Management business: “Returns had been long considered a pure loss-maker and a difficult process for customers to manage. We offer great experience and efficient processes for refurbishment, combined with great competence for remarketing of refurbished goods. Thus, we are able to achieve a positive financial result of returns while securing full compliance for electronic products allocated to recycling.”
Key to successful refurbishment and remarketing is an efficient pre-sorting and grading process. Hence, Cycleon-Recare makes use of 20 consolidation centers throughout Europe to pre-determine whether the product is deemed suitable for resale or recycle. For Small Domestic Appliances, for example, refurbishment and resale is already reasonable for products valued starting around 50€.
Admitted products are sent to one of three treatment facilities located in Birmingham, Bucharest and Pilsen. Additional to standard services like repair, cleaning and re-packaging clients may add data wiping, product auditing and testing services to the process.
Up to 85% of goods can be resold – labeled as refurbished goods of different quality levels as e.g. ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’. The remarketing is conducted by Cycleon-Recare’s selling team in line with client requirements to secure brand protection. The company therefore operates an own remarketing platform but also uses other approved sales channels.