Remanufactured Office Furniture & Equipment

Buying remanufactured office furniture and equipment not only helps cut operating costs, but also aids in saving the environment. And, when buying office equipment and furniture that is actually remanufactured, you're getting products that are as good as new, if not better.

But before you rush out to buy used office equipment and furniture, there are a few things you should know.

Before buying used office equipment or workstations, you should understand the difference between used and remanufactured. A used product means just that, it is used. When someone offers a used item, it could mean that nothing was done to improve it after it was used. It may have been simply cleaned, and nothing more.

Because the terms are often loosely used, a seller may advertise used products that really should be called remanufactured, and vice versa. However, there is a real difference.

For a product to be considered remanufactured it should be completely disassembled and then cleaned and inspected. Worn or defective parts should be replaced, and then the product can be reassembled. Through this process, the item becomes new again, or like new.

With furniture, the remanufacturing process often involves replacing fabrics and trim as well as other parts as needed, adding a fresh coat of paint, or whatever it takes to make the product like new. When ordering, you may even be able to specify the fabrics and colors used for remanufacturing your office furniture.

When you buy remanufactured office equipment, be sure a warranty is included. Even a 30 day warranty will allow time for you to ensure the equipment does work.

The environmental benefits of buying remanufactured office equipment are many. Remanufacturing keeps the items out of a landfill for a longer period. According to estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency, about three million tons of office furniture ends up in landfills each year, as does about 80 percent of all discarded office equipment.

Remanufacturing also adds to the life of the natural resources such as wood and aluminum used to initially manufacture the items. In addition, remanufacturing cuts the amount of resources it takes to produce new office items and reduces the amount of pollution created when manufacturing those items new.

It also cuts the amount of resources required to manufacture packaging for new items as well as the amount of packaging going into landfills. According to the EPA, packaging is a significant solid waste problem.

Therefore, the next time you need new office equipment, consider buying remanufactured instead. In doing so, you will help cut your costs and save valuable resources while getting products that are as good as new.