Spooky season has come to an end, and we are here to walk you through the IT asset disposition process by following a retired mobile asset into the afterlife. Disposition is more than just getting rid of old IT hardware. The ITAD process includes many beneficial services, such as data security with erasure, repair, and remarketing opportunities to maximize value, customized reverse logistics, and environmentally sound disposition via electronics recycling.
The first step of the afterlife for a mobile asset is assessment. First, after IT assets are collected and the check-in process is completed, decisions are made on each item’s salability. Some retired assets still have some use left and can be remarketed to maximize their value.
Destruction
Well, data destruction. Data remains on electronic devices long after retirement, but mobile devices are not completely overwritten, unlike traditional hard drives. Data erasure on a mobile device consists of deleting the customer data and restoring the original device operating system. Data erasure increases the value of retired IT assets by enabling them to be reused. This helps reduce the demand for new devices to be manufactured and provides a cost-effective alternative to new devices. Device reuse also helps keep mobile devices out of the waste stream.
Life After Death
Some devices are still in working condition upon retirement and may get a second life cycle. The repair and refurbishment process restores used devices as close to the original format as possible to maximize value. When all data is erased, assets are then tested, and diagnostics are run to determine if there are defective components. All used devices eligible for resale are repaired during this stage, then remarketed or redeployed to other client facilities if needed. Asset redeployment helps prolong the life cycle of retired IT assets. It supports a circular economy by keeping assets in circulation longer and out of the waste stream entirely.
Deconstruction & The End
Unfortunately, not all devices are eligible for reuse, and many come to the end of their useful lifecycle in the final stage. However, many have usable parts that can be repurposed for another device. Assets that cannot be resold or donated are sorted for de-manufacturing, a core function of HOBI International. HOBI believes in the sustainability of a circular economy and employs a manual disassembly process to allow maximum recovery of re-salable parts and scrap material. HOBI’s goal in disassembly is to recover and create the maximum return on scrap material for our clients while ensuring all hazardous elements are identified and processed properly. All recyclable material generated in the de-manufacturing process is entered into HOBI’s asset tracking system to allow scrap revenue recovery to be tracked back to a specific client load code.
For more information about our ITAD services, call 817-814-2620 or contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com.