Category: Services

Reverse Logistics and Value Recovery

With the New Year upon us, it’s a good time to take stock and prepare for this year’s activites and operational maintenance requirements. Its at times like these that decisions are made to move forward with projects to implement replacement systems, and/or ‘clear out’ unwanted infrastructure parts. One resolution we can all embrace is to ensure that a responsible Reverse Logistics process is followed.

Furthermore, it’s not always the case than there has to be a significant cost to disposal; unwanted infrastructure items in many cases can result in a generation of funds to Customers, either through resale of working spare parts or by recycling of components. This ‘Value Recovery’ can help to pay for replacement systems, as well as disposing of unwanted parts with the least environmental impact.

YellowsBest helps Customers perform their Reverse Logistics whilst achieving ‘Value Recovery’ by taking delivery of systems and parts, cataloguing the items, then providing a managed approach to the resale of spares, maximising the revenue arising. During this no-cost process, whilst the assets have been removed from the Customers’ premises saving storage space, they remain the Customers’ property and can be called back should unexpected spares requirements occur. Anything not saleable is then broken down for recycling, with useful materials extracted which can generate additional funds, and unwanted items disposed of in accordance with WEEE regulations.

We look forward to hearing from you; please get in touch to see how YellowsBest can assist with Reverse Logistics and maximise ‘Value Recovery’ for your organisation.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

@YellowsBestLtd helps Customers with their operational needs, and one aspect is to #Reduce the demand for avoidable whole-scale replacements through a combination of supply for #Reuse of refurbished spares and repair of system elements. When removal and disposal of no-longer serviceable infrastructure parts is necessary, we can also assist with the resale and #Recycle for ‘value recovery’ of valuable materials.

Most customers have implemented their private network infrastructure systems over a number of years, and for many their operational requirements have not changed. Consequently, it makes more sense both financially and environmentally to maintain these systems rather than embark on complete change-outs. We can assist by supplying critical and hard-to-find spare parts and hardware repair services, even when the systems have been declared ‘obsolete’ (i.e. no longer in production) by the O.E.M.

Eventually there does come a time when it proves necessary to remove and replace network infrastructure. Rather that simply discarding the old system elements, we can provide ‘value recovery’ to the Customer by means of resale of working parts and recycling of components, extracting useful materials. This often proves financially beneficial, generating a source of funds which helps to pay for the replacement systems, as well as providing an ethical means of disposing of unwanted parts with the least environmental impact.

Please get in touch should you wish to discuss your operational requirements and see how @YellowsBestLtd can be of assistance.

 

Recommended reading on the wider aspects of ‘The Future of Waste’ can be found in:

@TheIET @EandTmagazine Volume-12_Issue-11

Repair Services

Although many industrial infrastructure solutions tend to be very reliable and long-lasting, from time-to-time system components can become non-operational, and when these cases arise, businesses benefit from professional repair services.

Equipment requiring repair services falls into two categories:

  • Recently deployed systems, which are still in production by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
  • ‘Legacy’ systems, where the production has ceased; in some cases even the original vendor is no longer in business.

For the first category, certainly where there is a residual warranty provision, it may be best to return the failed item to the OEM for repair or replacement. However, businesses may still benefit from an alternative or supplementary service provision, particularly when the vendor’s production facilities are located overseas, and repair and return times are long (typically in excess of 30 days).

Regarding the second category, fortunately there are a range of options that YellowsBest, together with its network of independent service providers, can assist businesses with their ongoing support needs, to maintain the operational nature of their systems and thereby maximise their investment in deployed infrastructure.

YellowsBest assists customers with a wide variety of infrastructure elements, including telecommunications cards, CCTV cameras, matrix displays, etc. There are a number of ways YellowsBest can provide repair services:

  • Component-Level Repairs
  • Swap Repairs (Entire Module substitution with Spares)
  • Functional Replacements (Complete system substitution with compatible alternatives)

There follows brief descriptions of these repair services that we have been providing to our customers. We would be very pleased to hear from you should you wish to discuss your requirements; please contact us to see if we can be of assistance.

 

Component-Level Repairs

From time-to-time, hardware elements within infrastructure systems fail, and repair services are required. The diversity of modern networks and technologies in use by businesses means that there are a wide range of parts procured over a considerable period of time, from a multitude of vendors and international manufacturers from across the globe. This means that there is a spectrum of the relatively new to aging items, some parts being still under warranty to elements from OEMs that no longer exist.

YellowsBest is able to provide a comprehensive repairs management service, assisting business by acting as a single returns facility for both new and old equipment items. Typically, newer parts in or out of warranty will be sent to the OEM for repair or substitution. Older items, especially in the case where the OEM is no longer exists, will be repaired using our network of independent service providers, all to a standard equivalent to the original working condition and warranted operation.

 

Swap Repairs

Sometimes the repair of equipment elements is not possible, such as when the item is physically damaged or Beyond Economic Repair (BER). Or it can be the case that the repair times are long, and in order to safeguard continuous operations of systems, additional parts can be used for substitution when failures occur.

YellowsBest can source the required equipment spare parts, though its partnership with key vendors of the latest products as well as suppliers of legacy systems components. In many cases these parts can be newly manufactured to order and delivered within specified lead-times, or quickly despatched from either unused surplus stocks or ‘2nd user’ items, particularly in the case when systems are deemed obsolete and are no longer produced by the OEM.

With such a ‘swap service’ in place, the operational status of the deployed equipment can be restored without delay. YellowsBest can then, in many cases, obtain a component-level repair for the substituted item, and thereby return the original unit to ‘stock’, ready to provide the next swap repair.

 

Functional Replacements

When systems have reached the end of their useful working life, repairs are challenging and spares are unattainable, companies may need to completely change out or upgrade their infrastructure equipment.

YellowsBest can assist businesses by seeking alternative product solutions, in the form of either complete replacement systems, or re-manufactured elements to provide the most efficient substitution of equivalent required functionality. Particularly in the case where operational requirements have not changed, it may prove commercially beneficial to replace like-for-like products. In many cases, the substitution of functionally equivalent newer elements may pay for themselves over time through efficiency savings due to lower power consumption, etc.

Consultancy Services

A flexible approach to Consultancy provision

It has been a pleasure providing consultancy services to a client who was looking to develop their product sales business. YellowsBest’s approach is to tailor what we provide to meet the Customer’s exact needs. Several stages of activities were therefore established, reviewed and amended before these ‘workpackages’ were acted upon.

Strategy Workshop to identify the requirements

To thoroughly establish and document the ‘needs’,  a relatively informal but comprehensive ‘workshop’ was held.

This produced the ‘framework’ for the consultancy provision and provided an invaluable tool for measurement of progress toward the goals which were documented as part of this process.

Undertaking key tasks to assist Strategy implementation

A number of tasks were undertaken on behalf of our client in order to assist with the putting into action of the documented strategic aims.

Naturally, the implementation and development of a sales Strategy is a long-term undertaking, and YellowsBest is able to provide ongoing support to its clients with the assistance they need, as and when required, in order to ensure long-term success.

Summary of assistance YellowsBest can provide

YellowsBest is able to assist companies by providing consultation advice for a wide range of initiatives, such as:

  • Creation of Business Plans for identifying markets, customers and strategic propositions
  • Sales Strategy formulation for the generation of prospects and reaching customers via direct and channel approach
  • Assistance with key sales and business development tasks, including customer enquiries and presentations, liaison with vendors, attendance at industry events and content creation for websites and marketing initiatives
  • Performance Measurement analysis to understand success ratios and identify corrective actions to improve utilisation of resources and optimise business efficiency

YellowsBest is able to provide its consultancy services on an ad-hoc day-rate basis, or as a more structured project-delivery, over a number weeks or months as appropriate.

YellowsBest can also provide a range of other related Management Services, including Account Management, Bid Management, Business Development, Channel / Vendor Management, Commercial / Contract Negotiations, Sales and Marketing, Solutions Engineering and Training.

Account Management assistance

If you have a backlog of work to invoice, payments to chase and clients to speak to about renewing their purchase order cover, you may need another Account Manager.

Especially if you also need to provide reports internally on status against budget and inform your operational teams of expected activities to schedule resources and procure deliverables.

Trouble is, there may be a headcount freeze and until your business development actions bring in more revenue, you can’t justify another full time employee.

So here’s the solution: speak to the team at YellowsBest about a day-rate for a flexible, Bright individual who can take care of immediate activities in an Expert way, delivering against SMART objectives in a Timely fashion.

We look forward to hearing from you.