Saving Millions, One Circuit Board at a Time: Repair Don’t Waste in the North American Car Brake Industry Car brake manufacturing in North America is a significant industry, with a market size estimated to reach $10.2 billion by 2025. However, this sector, like many others, faces a growing challenge: the rising cost of automation equipment…
Repair Don’t Waste wins 2024 Sustainability Champion Award The winds of change are blowing strong in the electronics industry, and a powerful alliance has been recognized for its leadership. ABI Electronics, a renowned manufacturer of electronics test and repair equipment, and the Repair Don’t Waste movement have been jointly awarded the prestigious 2024 Sustainability Champion…
Throughout the years, Repair, Don’t Waste has built a strong relationship with the global defence sector by facilitating the repair of incredibly valuable assets in numerous settings. Such projects have included collaborations with the UK MoD, the Hellenic Airforce, and the Saudi Navy, but the partnership developed with the U.S Army has undoubtably yielded one of the most impressive single repair results that Repair, Don’t Waste have seen so far.
Global rail operator Alstom have been fans of the Repair, Don’t Waste mindset since their first investment in specialist test and troubleshooting technology in 2015, equipping their Chilean site with the in-house capabilities to repair their own faulty circuit boards. In 2023, Alstom have 11 locations across 3 continents that are Repair, Don’t Waste members and expect this number to increase significantly as net-zero target dates grow ever closer. The close relationship between Repair, Don’t Waste and Alstom is crucial to their long-term sustainability plans – and here’s why.
A subset of sustainability initiatives, the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) framework is booming in popularity around the globe – and can be the difference between a company surviving or thriving. For many ESG was originally a distant dream, but with the realities of climate change becoming frighteningly apparent, compounded by the COVID-19 Pandemic, these indicators are now a very real destination to ensure the continuation and improvement of business as we know it. But what is ESG, and how can embracing a Repair, Don’t Waste mindset benefit sustainable growth in industry?
Welcome to our exclusive Repair, Don’t Waste podcast to celebrate Repair Day 2023!
This years theme – Repair for Everyone – tackles the accessibility aspect of repair – many manufacturers do not want customers to repair, and many government bodies are slow to action in terms of support. Today I’ll be speaking to Willian Santos on the topic of how the Repair Don’t Waste movement sheds a different light on how repair can – and should – be made accessible to everyone and every business.
This year’s International E-Waste Day is centred around shedding light on ‘invisible’ electronic waste owned by the world’s consumers. Electronic items permeate every corner of our living environments in the western world – from homes, to offices, to shops and community centres, you can find multiple electronics in every modern-day situation. E-Waste Day focuses on what happens to these items when they are no longer working or become obsolete in our lives. At #RepairDontWaste we ask – what happens to industrial electronics when they too have served their purpose?
In February 2021, Willian Santos of ABI Electronics wrote an article urging industry leaders to come to their senses about the value of repair in the face of staggering obsolescence. The COVID-19 pandemic made it undeniable that a radical change in industries such as defence, aerospace, automotive, and rail had to happen – and fast – largely due to OEM-driven obsolescence of the systems and machinery required to keep planes, trains, wind turbines and solar inverters, robotic equipment and general critical infrastructure in operation. Two and a half years later, many industry-leading companies are still oblivious to the fact that their much-needed obsolescence solution is right under their nose – Repair, Don’t Waste.
Signed into law in August 2022, the U.S Government’ CHIPS Act has been dubbed the most disruptive change to affect the electronics industry in a generation with serious consequences for its supply chain expected to last well over a decade. A repair-first strategy can help businesses support and manage their critical systems whilst American and European microchip supply chains take form, and well beyond that.
Our movement recently had the opportunity to share our ethos with the world via Interesting Engineering’s exciting new podcast, Lexicon. By delving into the issues of E-Waste and the fight to repair industrial electronics, ABI’s International Sales Manager Willian Santos explained why time is up for the break-and-replace mentality, and how the world needs to change to usher in a new era of sustainability in industry.