01732 759725 REMANUFACTURING 34 PCL Direct Group has expanded its sustainable product offering with the launch of Eco-Direct. The company is leveraging its expertise in toner cartridge and consumable units remanufacturing to upcycle used machines and give them a second life Closing the loop range of services to its members and the broader industry. McIntyre said: “Joining ETIRA is a significant step for us. As a member, we are better positioned to leverage our expertise and experience in cartridge remanufacturing to drive positive change in the industry and contribute to a more sustainable future.” Quality control PCL Direct has been remanufacturing for over a decade. There are two arms to the business – remanufacturing – and it's not just OEM toners, it's all the parts within the photocopier such as the drums, fusers, developers and transfer belt units, and the company is also a distributor serving the UK and Ireland channel. The largest part of PCL Direct’s business lies in remanufacturing consumable units and toner cartridges for Konica Minolta, Develop and Olivetti devices. It was actually first to market with its remanufactured range for the Konica Minolta i-Series range. “We specialise in Konica Minolta, and I believe we are certainly the largest Konica Minolta remanufacturer in the UK, and probably one of the largest in Europe,” McIntyre said. In addition, it provides remanufactured products for use in selected Lexmark, Ricoh and Canon models. As McIntyre explains, the entire remanufacturing process is managed out of its Nuneaton-based operation. “We buy the raw materials, only use OEM original cartridges and we control the entire remanufacturing process from start to finish, including the fill levels. Quality control is tightly embedded at all stages and our products are bought by customers in the UK, across Europe and into Africa. Importantly, we don’t just buy in the raw materials and repackage used items, we have invested heavily in our people, we have an experienced team with a very keen eye on quality.” Remanufactured vs OEM original Over the years there has been much debate over the use of remanufactured consumables vs. OEM originals. Certainly, from an environmental perspective the reman option makes sense, and again there is also the argument that this route can be more cost-effective for dealers. There are, says McIntyre a couple of different sides to this: “You’ve typically got a dealer that buys OEM originals for Directors Andrew Ellis, Ian McIntyre and Dave Higgott are united in their vision to contribute to a more sustainable future and are strong advocates of a circular business model which chooses reuse, remanufacturing and recycling, to keep products circulating for as long as possible. The company actively promotes and practices circular economy principles across its remanufactured product lines and invests heavily in R&D to support this. The company has recently joined the European Toner and Inkjet Remanufacturing Association (ETIRA). Founded in 2003, ETIRA is a nonprofit association that represents the interests of European inkjet and toner cartridge remanufacturers, related service providers and compatible manufacturers. The association works on issues including product safety, quality and standardisation, and provides a continued... Andrew Ellis
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