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Manufacturers Can Profit From Product Takeback, Says New Report

A new report from Cutter Information Corp., Product Stewardship
and the Coming Age of Takeback, illustrates how manufacturers
have turned product takeback into a cost-effective, even
profitable part of their operations-an important goal as
governments worldwide consider implementing product takeback
legislation.  

Exclusive case studies detail the experiences of Apple, Digital,
Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Siemens Nixdorf, Sony, and Xerox - which
saved almost $200 million in its first four years by making
takeback and remanufacturing an integral part of its operations. 
The lessons the electronics industry has learned can be of
invaluable use to other industries.

"Economic factors are a major driver for takeback, and the
report's case studies show how manufacturers have risen to the
challenge", says John Bremer Davis, research editor and lead
author.

The report has already won praise from experts in the field.  

"Terrific!", said Clare Lindsay of the US Environmental
Protection Agency's Office of Solid Waste. "It's the best
one-stop shop I've seen on the subject."

The report shows not just why manufacturers are taking back their
old products, but how they are reaping benefits.

* How Sony Electronics beat the odds by cost-effectively
recycling low-cost, mass-market consumer electronics, despite
experts' doubts that it could be done

* How Siemens Nixdorf improved the design of its new products by
taking apart its old ones

* How Xerox saved almost US $200 million in its first four years
of making takeback and remanufacturing an integral part of its
operations

* How IBM saves money by recycling plastics from old products
into new ones 

* How Hewlett-Packard generates savings for its service
department and customers by salvaging spare parts from old
products

* How Digital Equipment Corporation profited by creating a
lifecycle management program for its products, offering
everything from sales to service to takeback

Apple Computer has responded to customer concerns and created its
own European network of third-party recyclers to handle old
computers

The report, researched by the international editorial team that
produces the newsletters Business and the Environment and
Environment Watch: Western Europe, also walks the reader through
the decision-making process involved in setting up a product
takeback and recycling program.  It offers corporate insiders'
views on meeting the challenges of takeback: how to fund a
takeback program and control its costs, manage the disassembly
process, and work with a still-developing recycling industry.

For those in the electronics industry, the report is an important
source of benchmark information on competitors.  For all readers,
it provides a wealth of insider tips for success and warnings
about pitfalls to avoid in developing product takeback programs.
The 128-page report sells for $185, or US $200 outside North
America. For ordering information contact: Dennis Crowley, Cutter
Information Corp., 37 Broadway, Suite 1, Arlington, MA,
02174-5552.  Tel: +1 800 964 5125 in North America, or +1 617 641
5125; Fax: +1 800 888 1816 in North America, or +1 617 648 1950;
E-mail: dcrowley@cutter.com; WWW: http://www.cutter.com.  

For more information about the report's contents, please contact:
John Bremer Davis, Research Editor, Cutter Information Corp., 37
Broadway, Suite 1, Arlington, MA, 02174-5552.  Tel: +1 617 641
5133; Fax: +1 617 648 8707; E-mail: johndavis@igc.apc.org.