484 Melitta coffee machines remade like new in Swansea

Parts such as coffee grinders, water tanks and sensors units were harvested from beyond-repair items and used to repair other units, according to Trojan.

As part of the process, which has created 484 machines, it said, each item and its component parts are catalogued for tracing should a unit have future warranty issues, and findings are fed back to the OEM so it can review its manufacturing processes.

“As well as saving almost 500 machines from landfill, we have also been able to make some improvements to the manufacturing process, ensuring that the number of returns are reducing in future,” said Trojan CEO James Rigg

Once reconstructed and tested, each unit is cleaned and re-boxed for sale through Melitta’s website.

“We believe that sustainability is the key to our future, as a society and as a company,” said Melitta marketing manager Nigel Morrison. “Working with Trojan Electronics on our returns processes has meant we can minimise wastage, reducing our impact on the planet.”

Trojan is integrated into their return streams of other OEMs, as well as into the return streams of some large on-line retailers.

“Unbeknownst to most consumers, when an electronic item is returned in imperfect condition it is cheaper for manufacturers and retailers to throw it away rather than re-purpose it and put it back up for sale,” claimed Trojan’s Rigg. “We are on a mission to transform the returns processes of all UK manufacturers and retailers, putting sustainability and circular solutions at the heart of them. In the last 12 months, we’ve saved over 30,000 electrical items from landfill.”

Trojan has a £20m business in Swansea employing 150 staff in a 180,000ft² warehouse. In 2018, ‘Trojan Electronics 2018’ was acquired by the Buy It Direct (BID) Group – owners of Laptops Direct, Appliances Direct and Better Bathrooms, amongst others.