INDUSTRY FOCUS Electronics
In industrial refurbishment, there is a saying: “What has worked before, can always work again”. That belief reflects a refusal to waste components that can still be restored to full function
products from cosmetic rebranding. This kind of certification provides a stamp that reinforces trust, especially in a market where refurbished items can differ significantly depending on the provider.
THE ROLE OF REFURBISHMENT
JC-Electronics discusses the continuing rise in popularity and advantages of refurbished electronics
C
ompared to 20 years ago, the industrial electronics refurbishment industry is almost unrecognisable. What was
once niche has evolved into a technically sophisticated, strategically indispensable sector. But how did we get here, and more to the point, where is the sector heading next? As with much else, a critical driver in the rise of industrial electronics was COVID. During the pandemic, global supply chains fractured and component lead times stretched into months. When new components were unavailable, refurbishment shifted from optional to essential, and this experience fundamentally changed market perception. Buyers discovered that refurbished components not only worked but often outperformed new parts in lead time, reliability, and lifecycle continuity. Another important macroeconomic driver towards refurbishment has been European sustainability regulation such as the CSRD, right-to-repair and Scope 3 disclosure requirements. These regulations are increasing pressure on companies to understand and report the environmental footprint of their equipment. This greater transparency naturally increases interest in refurbishment, as it avoids raw material extraction, lowers carbon emissions, and reduces waste streams. At the micro level, customers too have become more aware of refurbishment. A decade ago, many industrial buyers did not even know refurbished electronics were an option. If they did, they often assumed it was risky or low-quality. Thanks to the rise of webshops and greater price transparency, today’s buyers can actually see what exists and compare prices and lead times – a factor
28 July/August 2026 | Automation
that is enhanced by the fact that maintenance budgets are under pressure across Europe. Several converging market forces are
currently accelerating the shift toward refurbished industrial electronics. As mentioned, legislation like the European CSRD is already pushing companies to quantify and reduce the environmental impact of their operations. Refurbished components offer a clear advantage: they avoid the resource use, emissions, and waste associated with new manufacturing.
Shaping decision-making Some countries such as France expedite this development by adding their own sustainability regulations. Studies suggest that refurbishing an industrial drive or PLC can reduce associated carbon emissions by up to 80 percent compared to manufacturing a new equivalent. What once counted as a ‘nice to have’ is becoming a material argument in sales discussions, shaping decision-making at both procurement and corporate levels. To meet expectations, refurbishers have begun formalising their processes through independent quality labels such as RCube, which verify refurbishment standards and help customers distinguish technically robust
At JC-Electronics, we expect the current shift between new and refurbished industrial electronics to continue over the next five to ten years, with one of the clearest developments to be a move away from informal traders and brokers toward technically capable refurbishers. In our own order data, the proportion of customers requesting certified refurbished components over unverified alternatives has more than doubled in the past three years. A second trend is the gradual consolidation of the market. Today’s refurbishment landscape is highly fragmented, with players across all continents and of varying technical standards. In the coming years, platforms that aggregate and professionalise refurbishment activity will continue to grow, while non- technical players will fall away, accelerated by digitalisation. Longer term, predictive maintenance,
where components are replaced before they fail is expected to gain momentum, while the geopolitical landscape will reinforce Europe’s push toward circularity, which will mean handling raw materials more carefully and keeping components in circulation within Europe to support both resilience and sustainability. The growing relevance of refurbished components is rooted in the simple observation that reuse is becoming commonplace, from consumer electronics to industrial systems, because it is more circular, uses fewer resources, and still meets the demands of modern operations. In industrial refurbishment, there is a saying: “What has worked before, can always work again”. That belief reflects a refusal to waste components that can still be restored to full function. In that sense, the shift towards refurbishment is more than a market trend. It is a real cultural shift grounded in curiosity, resourcefulness, and a belief that well-designed technology deserves a longer life.
JC-Electronics
www.jc-electronics.co.uk
automationmagazine.co.uk
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