Did you know Shields boasts an impressive <1% average return rate across all the renewed network equipment we trade? Compared with higher failure rates on the same equipment bought brand new, that’s quite a difference…
But we understand that buying renewed equipment can be a daunting thought for many in network asset procurement. That’s exactly why testing is so important.
So, on this page, we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of why testing network equipment matters so much, sharing the details on how and why we’re maintaining such a low failure rate on our renewed equipment, and showing you how you can enjoy more peace of mind and greater longevity from the circular economy for network operators.
Looking for a comparison of testing capabilities on renewed equipment vs new equipment? Click HERE.
What does renewed network equipment testing involve?
Off-site technical services and testing are carried out in our state-of-the-art ESD certified labs. We cover full renewal to as-new status, testing and no-fault-found screening, manufacturer and specification testing, and reconfiguration and upgrades.
We test every single unit that comes into our labs, and those that pass the initial “keep or recycle” checks are further tested to the manufacturer specifications and/or our customers’ bespoke requirements, with full reporting available on every item.
All testing activities are tracked on a serial number level, including the type and length of test, results and, where relevant, failure reasons.
Our testing processes are THAT stringent, it’s no wonder our failure rates are so low.
Testing: why do we bother?
Between 2023 and 2024, we conducted tests on more than 100,000 products from 98 OEMs, providing us with valuable insights into reliability metrics. For example, initial failure rates for brand new equipment range from 1-3%, compared with less than 0.5% of renewed equipment. The results offer a comprehensive understanding of product performance, age profiles, and manufacturer reliability, and there’s no getting around the fact that renewed equipment comes out on top every time.
“There’s no getting around the fact that renewed equipment comes out on top every time.”
– Daniel Jones, CEO
We always recommend using Shields to decommission your sites – our field engineers are equipped to handle legacy equipment to prolong its life and give it a greater chance of being redeployed after testing.
By testing every single unit, we can guarantee that everything that leaves our warehouses for the field is fully working. That’s how we can offer such long warranties. While every item is packed safely and securely, we can’t account for damage effected by external issues during transit, which is the primary cause for any faults that you do experience on Shields equipment.
Still, we think a return rate of less than 0.5% is pretty impressive.
Myth-busting: new equipment lasts longer
During our conversations with networks looking for equipment, we’ve often heard the same mantra: “Won’t buying used mean buying twice?”
But there are several reasons why it’s virtually always the opposite matter. Let’s discuss them now.
Renewed network equipment tends to outperform the manufacturer’s reliability: Across the board, network equipment failure rates are highest in the first months after being taken into service. The simple truth is that if a piece of equipment has passed that initial increase in failures to be able to be resold, it’s far more likely to stand the test of time than a new piece of equipment might.
Every single piece of renewed network equipment we sell gets tested first before it goes out the door: Every single piece of network equipment that we sell gets passed through our Labs. Compare that with the spot checks that many OEMs only perform on every 50th or 100th piece of network equipment, and you can see why we’re more likely to catch the faulty equipment before it gets to the point of sale.
Renewed mobile equipment fails LESS than new: we’ve tested it: During a 12-month period from 2023 – 2024, we tested the reliability of products manufactured by 98 different OEMs. Across the products we tested, we found an average failure rate of some 11.3%, whereas the average failure rate on the same products that had been renewed in our testing labs was just 0.5%. That’s why at Shields we’ve committed to keeping our average return rates to less than 1%.
In fact, our return rates are so low that we offer a 2-year warranty on the renewed equipment we sell.
New vs renewed: who offers the longest warranties?
For all the reasons above, it’ll come as no surprise that operators will actually get the best network equipment warranties when buying renewed equipment. Many manufacturers offer a standard warranty of just 90 days. Shields provide a minimum 12-month warranty. On everything.
5 unexpected bonuses of renewed equipment testing
- Saving you time and money in the field: software upgrades
Software updates and configurations in the field can take time, may require outages, and can end up adding to networks’ operating costs. But when you source renewed equipment from Shields, you have the opportunity to upgrade software in our testing labs before you receive the equipment.
No need to bring in engineers, less loss of time, no loss of revenue.
- Generating you extra revenue: safe, secure recycling
By stringently testing every single item, we are able to sift out everything that can’t be reused by the same network or within the group or sold to the wider market.
Being pioneers in environmental excellence since 1979, Shields is committed to providing zero-landfill solutions wherever possible. By testing their equipment with us, networks have a grand opportunity to safely recycle items that cannot be reused. We’ve generated millions in previous untapped revenues for networks through recycling alone!
Want to find out more about renewed equipment, recycling and resale through Shields? Click here to book a free Asset Management strategy call.
- Saving you further procurement costs: repurposing within your network
Our robust testing procedures and quality assurance checks give networks the benefit of up to 2-year warranties – on every piece of equipment. We’ll send your tested equipment back to wherever you want it redeployed too. So, if you want peace of mind that you’re not only saving money through redeploying tested equipment, but that you’re increasing the reliability of your systems too, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Contributing to the circular economy and progressing towards your ESG targets doesn’t hurt either!
- Generating you even more revenue: facilitated resale
It’s not just recycling revenues that we’re helping networks achieve through better asset management. Our resale platform is tapping networks into new revenue streams by reselling to the wider market. Got assets that can’t be reused within your own network or group? Allow us to facilitate a resale at a fair market price, on a revenue share basis instead.
Take a look at MarketPlace Express to see what sort of things we sell here.
- Shorter lead times, thanks to stocked, pre-tested equipment
In many scenarios, where we’re not testing and redeploying equipment straight back to the same customer, we still test and then put the quality assured equipment into secure storage.
This means that when you come to buy renewed equipment through Shields, you don’t just benefit from longer warranties than you get from the OEM; you enjoy far shorter lead times too.
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TESTING FOR A TIER 1 OEM – A CASE STUDY
When a well-known tier 1 OEM grew tired of the growing numbers of DOA (dead on arrival) parts that they were buying new from other OEMs, they asked Shields to step in.
They sent everything that had arrived faulty to our labs, and we applied our rigorous testing procedures.
- We found out and reported back why every single item had failed
- We found trends that are now helping the tier 1 OEM avoid the same costly issues
- We refurbished anything that could go back into the field and sent it back to the tier 1 OEM
For similar projects for other networks, we’ve safely recycled everything that couldn’t be reused, recouping the cost of the precious metals on the network’s behalf.
Thorough testing and the resulting longer warranties are just two of the many benefits of buying renewed network equipment.
The planet and budget benefits are endless too:
- In 2023, we recycled over 4 million kilograms of outdated telecom equipment. By recovering the value of the precious metals, our network customers earned nearly €1.8 million in revenue.
- Networks can achieve significant emission reductions, averaging 16.83 CO2e/kg per product, by sourcing through our resale platform instead of the OEM.
- In 2023, our customers avoided 5,627 metric tons of CO2e by redeploying equipment within their own networks.
- Additionally, 48 metric tons of CO2e were avoided through the reuse of equipment within customer groups.
- Our Asset Management Program has saved networks $1 billion and generated over $500 million in revenue over the past four decades.
To find out more about testing and buying better through Shields, book a free strategy call now.