01732 759725 36 What really differentiates us is that we offer the complete solution. What I mean by that is quite a few years ago, Felicity, Chris and I had a conversation about toner cartridges in general and why no one is reusing them. There was a big hype at the time about plastic bottles and reusing plastic bottles - and now you see more people with a refillable bottle. So, we took that concept and we evolved from that, the idea that we should reuse our toner cartridges. Our business model is unique because it’s built around our recycling service. So, everything that we bring back through the recycling service, follows one of the three pathways. Within those pathways we have the remanufacturing option – we collect all the OEM cores, we reuse them, clean them out, refill them, seal them, package them, products are tested then it goes out the door. We have been a member of ETIRA for just over ten years now and we have worked alongside them throughout that time period on the process of remanufacturing cartridges and we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of quality assurance of remanufactured cartridges. Our technical department have a combined experience of just over 125 years. We’re very proud that we’re able to host our research and development team in-house. It’s not somewhere else abroad. It’s in the UK. We have extremely quick and reliable lead times. I think in today’s industry, there’s a lot of discussion about the environment, the circular economy, planting trees – and that’s great. And as everybody becomes more eco-conscious in this present landscape, that’s fantastic, we should be discussing all these things. But where I do feel disappointed within the industry is we have products that are being created that are single-use compatibles. They’re very often ending up in landfills because we also don’t have enough recycling services in place having a central warehouse, we can deliver our products into different countries within a two-day window, which has always been difficult from the UK. The world is changing - everyone wants the Amazon model where it’s nextday delivery, it had to evolve from what we’re doing in the UK where we build it, we make it and we put it on the shelves - so who better to deliver it and that’s where our model was completely changed to direct ship next‑day for all of our customers. The same model is now being pushed out for our European friends, and that’s where we see our growth. PITR: With so many companies trying to impact their bottom line with cost-effective alternatives to OEM products, as well as investing into sustainable services such as recycling, there are now quite a few companies offering solutions to meet these market demands, so what is it that differentiates you from the rest of the market? Lauren Rabbitte: ECS is all about the customer. We simply wouldn’t be where we are in this present marketplace without those individuals and companies that believe in our products and love the results. PrintIT Reseller (PITR): Let’s begin by hearing a little about the company and what kind of services can a potential partner expect from ECS? Chris Fink: ECS is the largest remanufacturer in the UK of printer and photocopier products, and probably in Europe now. We’ve always had a core business of remanufacturing and we’ve never gone away from that philosophy. I’ve always said I can never believe why we would buy a finished product halfway across the planet, bring it here, use it and then put it into landfill. Remanufacturing is definitely the core of what ECS does. We are looking at putting in a distribution centre in Europe, which will provide two-day shipment to places like Ireland, Spain, Germany, Italy, etc. We’ve always had a next-day delivery system in place in the UK. But the infrastructure and the warehouse in Europe will enable us to deliver our products to our customers’ customers within a two-day window. PITR: So, you’re looking at expanding your UK operations into Europe? Chris Fink: We’ve always sold products in different parts of the world anyway; we have distributors in other countries. This will assist our distributors; by INTERVIEW A conversation with ECS In an exclusive interview with PrintIT Reseller, ECS Managing Director Chris Fink and Associate Director Lauren Rabbitte, emphasise the importance of remanufacturing and recycling in support of the circular economy, discuss the company’s commitment to providing environmentally friendly products, and its innovative approach to toner cartridge recycling
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