Surplus Equipment in a Circular Economy

If you know Go Communications, you know how committed we are to protecting and preserving our planet. One of the stated goals of our Environmental Policy is to prevent pollution, reduce waste and minimise the consumption of resources.

This is why I am so interested in supporting a circular economy, as a solution which helps to prevent pollution and the overconsumption of resources. I believe that surplus equipment can play a big role in supporting that goal - especially during a time when resources are already stretched due to world events and the seemingly never-ending chip shortage.

What is a Circular Economy??

Creating a circular economy is like creating your own ecosystem for your business. Think of a world where the goal is to see no such thing as waste and every unwanted or surplus component is treated as a resource.?

I truly believe that waste is simply a resource in the wrong place and that with just a little foresight, it is possible to give unneeded equipment a new lease of life.?

I talk a lot about refurbished equipment, and in the few inevitable cases where equipment will be too damaged, or outdated to be useful anymore, recycling is by far the best solution.?

However, this month’s newsletter is a spotlight on a lesser talked about part of the smart, sustainable future of networking: surplus new equipment. This is an area where there is huge potential for extending the service life of network kit and eliminating e-waste, without having to compromise on brand-new equipment.??

What Is Surplus Equipment - Isn’t it just old equipment?

No! Surplus equipment is brand-new equipment offered at a reduced price because the supplier has excess stock.?

Excess stock is not a rare occurrence - it happens in many industries for many reasons. In networking, it is common for surplus stock to be ordered when a component is urgently needed for a tight deadline or high-priority replacement, especially if said component has a long lead time, as a precautionary measure.?

This practice is becoming even more widespread due to the massively increased lead times I wrote about last week, since, if a component arrives faulty or gets damaged, it could cause many months of delays. In most cases, the products that were ordered as insurance can be sold back to the dealer in order to keep the extra costs down, and that means the dealer has surplus new equipment to sell.

It also happens when the buyer cancels their order completely, whether it’s due to another component being delayed, the project being postponed - or binned entirely - or simply changing their mind.?

It is likely that, if surplus stock could not be sold, it would most likely be discarded or left in a stock room with valuable components left to gather dust. It is usually not possible for a dealer to return these components back to the manufacturer, and rotating them into their regular stock means they could take a long time to shift, meaning the dealer is making a loss on the items in the short term. Their best bet is to sell the surplus equipment on as quickly as possible - meaning low prices for you.

And what’s more, by choosing these unused resources instead of demanding that new ones be created for you in a process that uses energy and generates waste, you’re already dipping a toe into the circular economy!

What Are The Advantages Of Surplus Equipment?

Of course, the main benefit for the customer of buying surplus new network equipment is the cost saving. Depending on the type of kit you buy, you can save anything from 20% to a massive 90% compared to buying it at retail price.

However, there is also a range of other perks. For example, it can also save time. If a component is already available as surplus new, it allows you to bypass long lead times and also means that you are not contributing to the long backlog in demand for new equipment. You can also occasionally find equipment that would be difficult to find or may not even be on the market at all. If you are looking for specialised equipment but are unable to find it on the market, it could be worth exploring whether it’s available as surplus.?

We Buy And Sell Surplus New Equipment

If, after reading this newsletter, you have been reminded of some surplus stock lurking somewhere in the back room of your data centre, or indeed if you are looking to buy equipment and have decided that surplus new is the way to go, Go Communications is here to help.?

We purchase and sell surplus new equipment, meaning that we can offer brand new, never-used equipment at a fraction of the original price - and you can have a brand new kit with the added feel-good factor of knowing you’re doing your bit for the planet.?

Get in touch today if you’d like to know more!