*NEWS* TRINIDAD & TOBAGO:PRINTING PROWESS

[Anonymous]

Printing prowess
November
2007 trinidade & tobago :Every year, over 300 million inkjet
printer cartridges end up on landfills where they take 300 to 1000
years to break down . The high number represents 95 percent of the
cartridges used in any given year.LJR Technology Limited, Eastern Main
Road, Tunapuna, is one of the many companies globally who are reusing
the other five percent and is encouraging people to reuse them, so much
so they are guaranteeing a new printer or photocopier if a refilled
cartridge damages the machine.“The offer of the new printer or
photocopier is to take away the risk of using the remanufactured
cartridge,” said Shara Jagroop, one of the company’s directors and
Purchasing Manager.“The remanufactured cartridge will not destroy any
equipment but because of what is written in printer and photocopier
manuals – that there is no warranty or guarantee on printers if
refilled cartridges are used. As a result, many people are scared to
try the remanufactured product, she said in an interview last
week.This, she said, was due to several other businesses who refill
cartridges but do not replace the parts. “Other businesses refill
cartridges but are giving the business a bad name because, more often
than not, cartridges do not work. People are skeptical because of
failed experiences in the past,” she said.She asserted that so far,
they have never had to enforce their guarantee. “We spend a lot of
money in research and development. I go to expos in the United States
which showcase new processes, equipment, classes and training which
explore problems and ways to counteract these snags and return to share
this knowledge with our employees,” she said.

LJR Technology
Limited, she said, was officially incorporated in 2001 and is involved
in the refilling, remanufacturing, replacement and reinking of Inkjets,
Bubble Jets, Lasers, PC Copiers and ribbon cartridges. They process
brand names such as Canon, Epson, Hewlett Packard, Dell, Xerox, IBM/
Lexmark, Okidata, Panasonic and Sharp.Jagroop said laser cartridges are
reusable as long as the cartridge remains intact. With regards to
Inkjets, black ink cartridges can be reused seven times, while coloured
cartridges can be reused five times. Inkjets take about 30-45mins to
remanufacture, she said, while lasers take about an hour.Parts are
brought in from associates who do research and develop the parts which
are sometimes superior to the original manufactured product, she
claimed.In addition to remanufacturing cartridges, they also supply new
Inkjet, Laser, Photocopier and ribbon cartridges, Media/Data Storage
Devices such as DVDs, CDs, Flash Drives, Specialty Paper, Copier Paper
and photo paper.“We give the customer the option to purchase new
cartridges, but we also urge them to try the remanufactured version,”
she said.The idea of remanufacturing cartridges, although big business
in other countries, is unique to TT. “We are the only company locally
that remanufacture cartridges professionally,” she said. The over
13,000 remanufacturing companies worldwide represent billions of
dollars yearly while the industry has been around since the 1980s.Using
remanufactured cartridges is a win-win situation for the customer, in
terms of the environment and savings, she said.Environmentally, it
decreases the amount of plastic, steel aluminum and rubber sent to
landfills and burned in incinerators, Jagroop said. There are plans to
open up a branch in Tobago.She added, toner cartridges are considered
to be one of the least biodegradable waste products. “Purchasing
remanufactured toner and inkjet cartridges and recycling empties helps
to strengthen the local economy, by throwing away people are actually
wasting money,” she said.On the financial side, she said,
remanufactured and re-filled cartridges can save consumers up to 50
percent of the Original Equipment Manufactured(OEM) cartridge price.

“The
demand for remanufactured cartridges would be larger if more people are
informed about the process,” she said. This process includes
pre-testing the cartridges, cleaning and replacement of parts,
refilling/re-inking with original inkjet inks/toner, sealing to prevent
leakage and post testing to ensure quality.“Most other companies have
not gone beyond refilling, parts have to be changed because the toner
is made for a specific amount of use,” Jagroop said, adding that just
refilling would significantly reduce the amount of copies one can get
from the photocopier because of the wear and tear of parts in the
cartridges.The inks used in printer cartridges are also important.
“Every cartridge have its specific ink and if we do not have the ink
for it, we would not do the job,” she said.Jagroop explained that some
companies sell ink and refill kits, but there is no guarantee in this
do-it-yourself project as there is no guarantee it will work.The
company’s clientele range from large companies like Trinidad Hilton to
small businesses and associations like College Health Foods, All Pro
Security, Eastern Football Association, DVD clubs and schools. Jagroop
said there are also walk-in customers and customers from neighbouring
Caribbean islands.Although there is only one branch, staffed by four
employees, Jagroop said, there are plans to expand once the word gets
out there. “Right now we are trying to get people’s attention and show
them the benefits derived from using remanufactured cartridges,” she
said.

[Author]

November 6, 2007 at 10:56 AM