How Remanufactured Cartridges Can Save Your Business Money

The war has begun between OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and remanufacturers. This war is due to the fact that many consumers are beginning to recognise the benefits of using remanufactured and compatible products. This creates problems for printer manufacturers because historically these consumables have been their cash cows. I’m sure that most consumers are aware that printer manufacturers do not make their money through the sale of printers but rather through the sales of the consumables associated with these printers. And now their cash cow is under threat!!!

The reason that most consumers are beginning to switch to remanufactured or compatible cartridges is due to the fact that most consumers are now starting to see how much they can save by using these types of cartridges as opposed to OEM products. This is becoming more pertinent as we now also operate in a society where businesses no longer pay on time and many smaller companies are facing huge cash flow problems and are looking for every opportunity available to them to cut costs.

The price saving of using remanufactured cartridges can be as much as 50% in some cases. This is a huge saving especially for companies that fax and copy a lot.


Whilst many OEM’s maintain that remanufactured cartridges do not offer the same quality as originals, there have been some very interesting developments in the business environment. Many OEM’s have begun to develop their own remanufactured product. By doing so they are sending mixed messages to their customers because on the one hand they are telling their customers not to use remanufactured cartridges and on the other they are trying to sell remanufactured cartridges to their customers.

Studies in the US have shown that companies who switch over to compatibles or remanufactured cartridges can make substantial savings to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year which puts them in a better position to win the battle of the bottom line. And which is more, the use of these cartridges will not diminish the quality of their prints in the least.

The reason that remanufactured cartridges are able to produce such high quality prints, is due to changes that have occurred in the remanufacturing process. In the beginning cartridges were merely refilled by having a hole drilled in them to replace the toner. Now days the remanufacturing process requires that cartridges be completely disassembled to analyse all the components for wear and tear. Any parts that show substantial wear and tear are replaced, meaning that these cartridges can produce prints with the same if not better quality than their original counterparts.

Tony Hess from Kohler Corp, a multi-billion dollar firm and an innovator and leader in many sectors has been quoted as saying “Naturally we all know that most OEM printer manufacturers make the majority of their profit via the consumables, so we are open to saving costs here.” Hess goes on to say, “We compared one compatible cartridge against the OEM product. We looked at the quality of the toner and checked for any residue left on the rolls afterwards. The quality as well as the quantity, was the same.” Kohler Corp now only uses compatible cartridges in their network printers, and as Hess says “We get the same level of quality as an OEM product at a drastically reduced price. It’s almost a 50% saving, which is why it’s such a benefit to the company. It’s a no brainer.”