The recent merger between Theko, Remarket IT Holdings and ADM Africa has strategically positioned Theko International in asset disposal, refurbishing and remarketing of IT equipment, says director Erica Robertson.
Robertson says the companies merged almost two months ago, forming an entity that is able to refurbish large volumes of desktops, printers, point-of-sale equipment and servers.
"Many enterprises` business requirements are necessitating earlier upgrade cycles, but that 'old` equipment is often still functional. We are therefore able to refurbish the equipment and sell it to retailers, schools, home users and anyone else whose requirements are not as high.
"We also distribute equipment to suppliers in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and Botswana," she says.
Material that cannot be reconditioned or reused is disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. Robertson says this is important because government is looking to introduce strict laws governing asset disposal.
"In Europe, many companies are shipping old equipment to countries like SA that do not have legislation governing the disposal of assets as it is cheaper for them. When similar laws are introduced here, we will be positioned to help companies comply with the legislation."
She says the company has two refurbishing plants in Midrand and in Cape Town, capable of refurbishing 1 500 units a month.
"Currently, our plant in Midrand is refurbishing about 500 units a month, while our Cape Town operation is refurbishing around 250 units a month. The units are completely rebuilt using parts from local suppliers except in the case of large servers, which are bought from Europe," she says.
Theko has already signed up Mutual and Federal for the disposal of its equipment. Robertson says a number of other companies have also signed contracts with Theko and more are showing interest.
"Our contracts make it really easy for the corporates because they just drop the equipment off with us and we refurbish it. They then share in a percentage of the profits," she says.
The company is also a distributor of Netrunna, a disaster recovery business continuity tool that recreates desktops in the event of data loss. Robertson says the market has shown a lot of interest in the product and Theko is looking to set up channel partners for distribution.
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