11.05.2020
You Are not to Skimp on Customers
Sergey Kuzin, the Head
of the Expert Council on the
Remanufacturing Industry of the
AQCMS,
answers the questions of Information Agency «BUSINESS-INFORM»
- The Association of Quality Consumables Manufacturers and
Suppliers (AQCMS) has got an extensive media
coverage in newsfeeds and professional publications. Could you tell us more
about the activities of the Association as an insider? To be more precise, we
would like to know more about the Expert Council. What are the main problems
which are the focus of the Council that you are the head of?
The list of tasks for the Expert Council is defined by the actuals of the remanufacturing
industry. If we are to categorize them, we can define provisionally 4 blocks
which are: information and analytics; supervision; prospective development and
interaction with authorities. Let’s take a look at the information and
analytics. The Council is having the database on the state of the market, on
the domestic and foreign experience; etc. updated. In order to do this we
conduct researches; monitor the market, exchange information with foreign
associations and expert communities. Supervision implies various activities
connected with the relationships on the market of remanufactured products,
development of quality assessment criteria for them, keeping modern
technologies registry as well as ranking the market players. The perspective
development implies the activity on expanding of the Expert Council throughout
the country; attracting experts from other fields to solve industry issues as
well as analysis of perspective initiatives and proposals of the field members.
Finally, let’s look at the 4th block which is interaction with
authorities. The name speaks for itself. It implies all the issues that affect
the industry and its members.
- Does the scope of the
Expert Council on the Remanufacturing Industry enable to solve the above
mentioned issues?
The scope of the Expert Council is the scope of the
Association, of all its members who have practically 30 years of experience in the
industry, recognition and brands, wide international contacts, accumulated
Russian technologies and methods. During the past years we have managed to
establish cooperation between the market players and build up a unique
information field.
- What Councils of the
Association do you have the closest cooperation with?
As for Association’s practical arrangements, we
cooperate with all the Councils equally. As for particular matters, we mostly
consult with 2 councils: the Council on Quality and Certification and the Council
on Environmental Issues. Quality and sustainability are the key concepts and,
if you wish, main arguments in favor of refilling and remanufacturing industry.
Nowadays, when products of questionable quality prevail on the market, a
customer often gets a printed document with evident flaws. In my opinion, it is
a token of disrespect to a client and leads to reputational and subsequently
financial losses. Our mission is to support high quality product manufacturers.
You are not to skimp on customers.
- What are the core
activities to be performed by the
Expert Council on the Remanufacturing Industry this year?
Well, for instance, we are planning to conduct a
massive research of the Russian market. Lately some serious phenomena and
events have occurred such as an economic crisis and COVID-19 pandemic. As soon
as we conduct the research, it will become clear what we will have to adjust in
terms of internal regulations of the market, its prospective development and
interaction with authorities. This year we are also planning to meet with
several profile International
associations of the industry to establish working relationships and get access
to credible information concerning the latest news of recycling industry.
Moreover, we are going to actively participate in the assessment of the results
of an international competition organized by the Association of Quality Consumables
Manufacturers and Suppliers together with the Information Agency «BUSINESS-INFORM».
- In your opinion, what
are the main changes on the market of new and remanufactured consumables that
have occurred for the past 3 years?
The market of remanufactured consumables has remained quite stable
facing no drastic changes of the hierarchy or logistics. Product differentiation
has become more defined. Perception of product and service quality has changed
as well as methods of its assessment. Some Russian brands have started winning international
competitions, getting high scores and recognition from the expert community and
consumers.
The main changes for the market were connected with the competition
between OEM manufacturers and Chinese manufacturers of new-build cartridges. It can be stated that in the segment of smaller
office machines new-build compatible cartridges are the
leaders even in certain segments of remanufactured consumables. It can be
explained by the lack of a clear policy in terms of printing quality and
ecological safety for consumers. With to the lack of internal industry
regulations Federal laws 44 and 223
in my opinion became the reason of low quality cheap
products’ domination (including products from Russian counterfeiters). There are a plenty of cases when not very
scrupulous “certification organizations” supplied equally unscrupulous market
players with fraudulent papers, allowing entering tenders; thus damping the
prices that were already low. In the end it all led to lowering of business
lucrativeness and loss of interest to the business on the whole. Nowadays
absolutely all the suppliers of ready solutions, both OEM and non-OEM
manufacturers, complain on small volumes of the market and its low profitability.
As it is said in these cases, they got what they bargained for…
A situation on the remanufacturing market is much better. The market
was able to quickly adapt to the market changes due to technologies and
manufacturing experiences. The market players can still remain partly
independent from external regulations and current market conjectures including
currency exchange rate. At the same
time, the goods of poor questionable quality that are still presented in the
market negatively affect all market players including remanufacturers.
I cannot omit that our industry has become strong during the last few
years due to the competition with Chinese new-build cartridges. A whole range
of successful and effective business models has been created. A digitalization
of activities has been performed and a unique subculture based on the realizing
the importance of our mission has been built. The Expert Council on the Remanufacturing
Industry has enthusiastically entered this process, and we hold no
doubts that the knowledge and experience of Association’s experts will enable
us to find solutions that will be accepted by the overwhelming majority of
votes.
Details: BUSINESS-INFORM Review (issue #27, 2020)