Cartridge Express Limited Takes the Remanufacturing 'High Road

Cartridge Express are setting the standard of printer cartridge remanufacturing and cheaper consumables with same high quality of an OEM product.

(PRWEB) March 29, 2004 --At least one Staples customer in the United Kingdom will not be purchasing his printer cartridges from the office supplies superstore any longer. In fact, the high price of a typical OEM printer cartridge at Staples led Jeff Brook on a quest for lower prices and directly into the welcoming arms of the remanufacturing industry. For a little more than a year now, Brooks remanufacturing shop, Cartridge Express Limited, has built a reputation for excellence in the middle of Leeds, the second largest metropolitan district in England.

Brook, like many other people all over the world needing printer cartridges, used to simply visit Staples or another large-scale office supply store. On one fateful day in January 2003, Brook found himself purchasing his last cartridge at an OEM price. That particular day, Brook was on a company errand to pick up some cartridges for his employer -- Waddingtons print and Packaging.

While at Staples, Brook was blown away by the prices charged for both black and color inkjet cartridges and found himself debating which of the cartridges to purchase, with price being his determining factor.

From there, Brook decided to investigate whether he could get an equivalent product at a cheaper price. "I was just looking out for a better-cost option because the original was so expensive; far in excess of the printer sometimes," he said. "I just started doing a bit of research, really, to try to find out if there was a better quality cartridge for a printer."

Using the Internet as his guide, Brook discovered the remanufacturing industry and became fascinated with it. The idea of opening a retail outlet in which he could recycle customers empty cartridges soon started taking shape in Brooks mind. With no working knowledge of the industry, Brook realized very quickly that he would have to be taught the remanufacturing process.

Brook was lucky enough to find Austin, Texas-based TonerPlus, and its RAMORA University Ink Jet 101 course. TonerPlus offers a three-day training course in inkjet remanufacturing with hands-on experience.

"I just made an appointment, went over and did a bit of basic training on inkjet technology and toner cartridge remanufacturing," Brook said. "The more I learned the more I wanted to learn."

During his time in Texas, Brook spent more than three days familiarizing himself with inkjet cartridges and more than five days learning how to remanufacture toner cartridges as well. According to Brook, the staff at TonerPlus recommended he subscribe to Recharger Magazine to continue his education in this industry. "They said to me, 'You need to get this magazine, its like your Bible," he said.

Using his newly learned skills, Brook set out to establish Cartridge Express. His biggest challenge in the beginning was the learning curves; gaining the necessary knowledge and experience to produce remanufactured cartridges of the highest quality. "What you think you know you dont really know until you actually come out to do it," he said.

Another challenge for Brook was finding the right equipment to help him fill cartridges in a vacuum, so air would not be present in any cartridges. In the very early days of Cartridge Express, Brook said he might have had up to 5 percent in returns because of pockets of air floating in some of the inkjet cartridges he produced.

"What I found out is that its not as easy as simply putting ink into a cartridge," he said. "If you want a quality product, youve got to remanufacture in proper fashion. You need the right machinery, you need to be filling cartridges in a vacuum, you need the right quality ink, and you need to be making sure that the cartridge is a good quality cartridge and all the nozzles are firing. So, quickly realize that you cannot just put ink into a syringe and push it into a cartridge; it just doesnt work."

A visit to Las Vegas for Recharger Magazines World Expo in September 2003 helped Brook to find better equipment for use in his business and do some valuable networking. Making contact with a company on the cutting edge of inkjet technology he now feels comfortable knowing he has the machinery and process wich is not only Unique but quite secret.

"Networking is very important because it gives us a chance actually to speak about the business in an enthusiastic way and reassure people, because quite a lot of people need reassuring," Brook said. "They need to be able to trust you."

That need for trust from his customers means Brook has focused his efforts on producing high-quality cartridges, rather than rushing his products through production. "Obviously, in this industry theres a lot of people doing it different ways, and some people are up for doing it the quickest way possible and just getting product out no matter what the quality," Brook said. "I believe that weve got to provide a good quality service because other people cut corners and dont follow good practices. They get customers returning cartridges and losing faith in recycled products, which then reflects on the rest of us. Weve got to try and set standards and keep raising our bar, and keep making our products as good as an (OEM) product."

Offering a high-quality cartridge at a price that doesnt break the bank has long been Brooks mantra, a mantra that keeps his customers coming back for more. A wide range of printer products are offered at the Cartridge Express retail shop on Vicar Lane in Leeds, while the production facility at the rear of the shop specializes in "in-house" inkjet cartridge remanufacturing. "We remanufacture just about every inkjet possible," Brook said, including most inkjet HP and Lexmark cartridges as well as some Epson and a few BC-series Canon cartridges. "Weve got a good supply of quality toner cartridges coming through as well." Originally, Brook started to outsource all his toner cartridges from a toner remanufacturing plant on the outskirts of Leeds. After developing a sound relationship with the company directors and purchasing an interest in the company, Brook worked to get the two companies working in unison.

"Bringing the two companies together seemed the most natural thing to do," he said. "I liked what I saw in the toner plant. It has a good director and a staff whose commitment to a quality product is second-to-none, which is very important to me."

Brook feels confident that the two companies are capable of producing more than 10,000 toner and 5,000 inkjet cartridges each month. He said he prefers to keep his small, six-person staffs focus on inkjet remanufacturing for the time being, since too much work for too few people could lead to the possibility of lower quality products being produced, which is something he finds absolutely unacceptable. "Our cartridges very rarely break down, and thats what were trying to do -- were trying to give customers a good-quality cartridge that wont break down on them," he said.

Although Cartridge Express currently has room for expansion, with a large basement and other available space, Brook said the facility would need to be expanded further to facilitate "in-shop" toner cartridge remanufacturing. "I want to get to a point where were remanufacturing cartridges in more of a factory environment," he said. He added that he would want to provide an exchange service for toner cartridges similar to the one the company currently provides for inkjets, in which customers turn in their spent cartridges and immediately get a newly filled cartridge in return. "Thats where we can feel more comfortable with the quality side of things and we also get that empty cartridge. Some cartridges need to stand about 24 hours before they can start working right and theres no point giving back a cartridge to customers and telling them to let it sit overnight."

Brook also likes for his staff to test and retest the remanufactured inkjet cartridges to ensure their quality, which they could not do if they had to immediately process and give a cartridge back to the customer.

The cartridge exchange program has also provided Cartridge Express with a source for empty cartridges. "That side of the operation just expanded to a stage where we dont use all the cartridges coming in now; we actually pass them on to other remanufactures," Brook said. "That side of the business is working very well. Weve got more cartridges than we can manage and to me, that is a good position to be in. Its better than being in a position where you have to go through brokers and pay a very high price for them."

Its obvious that Brooks concepts are paying off. Since Cartridge Express first opened its doors in February 2003, the company has tripled its staff from two to six people. Several of the staffers handle cartridge production, and one also handles storefront customer sales. An empty cartridge handler and company secretary also assist Brook in keeping the facility running smoothly and efficiently. When the business first opened, it was run by both Brook and a partner who later left to pursue other business interests. As Cartridge Express continued to grow, Brook found another partner, who helps run the business. Michael Harrison joined the company as operations director, and took over the challenge of sourcing raw materials (empties). "The reason the empties side had grown so quickly is because of Michaels efforts and determination," Brook said.

The company is also growing electronically. A staff Internet marketer is currently finalizing the Cartridge Express Web site, where customers can order products online and find out more about the business.

"Its getting bigger and bigger every day," Brook said about the impressive growth of the business. "Theres more and more work coming at us every day now."

Cartridge Express customers range from people coming in off the street to schools, universities and other leading institutions throughout the region. "We deal with anybody whos got a printer, who needs to save some money, basically," Brook said. The company helps its customers with repairs as well; customers requiring printer maintenance are referred to another company in Leeds, Yorkshire Office Machines, to which Brook outsources repair work.

Brooks hard work and strive to push the bar in both quality and affordable pricing continues to define Cartridge Express as a reputable remanufacture. "Its not good paying 50 percent less than the average when the printer cartridge is faulty or stops printing prematurely," he said. "Theres no value in that for customers. Im trying to get it to where the customer can see the value in what were trying to do."

As Cartridge Express continues to expand and grow, Brook sees a bright future ahead for his company. "I think the challenge for me now is to grow the business and to achieve my original objective," he said. "My vision is to have an outlet in every major town and city, providing a good-quality alternative to buying an OEM product."

Contact Cartridge Express on +44 (0)1132 829 924, email enquiries@cartridgeexpress.net or visit http://www.cartridgeexpress.net.