Imaging Aftermarket Industry Should Redefine Strategies to Improve Quality, Maintain Decent MOP, and Reduce Environmental Hazards

– Mr. Lalit Kumar Rakhecha, Founder, Softline Sales Corporation

India, like many other industrialized nations, is facing a significant problem of plastic waste. A report of 2020-21 of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) states that over 4 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated in India and only one-fourth or 25% of it is recycled and the rest 75% ends up in landfills or disposed of unsustainably. Today, use-and-throw compatible cartridges are a big contributor to this wastage.

India is one of the biggest but also the most price-sensitive markets globally, where the practice of rejecting one product over another for a few rupees is all too common. It is imperative that we prioritize both the quality and sustainability of the products we offer and maintain a decent MOP.

Say, until 2010, there used to be mostly OEM cartridges which were refilled a few times and then remanufactured and recycled several times before being finally disposed off.  Compatibles were not common. At that time there were no EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) obligations to prevent environmental pollution.  The reman cartridges also used to give much higher print quality and print yield compared to the cheap compatibles currently flooding the market. In the last 14 or so years, taking advantage of the price-sensitivity of the market, many sellers started dumping cheap, low-quality, use-and-throw laser toner cartridges into the market. This process has led to the rapid decline of the remanufacturing industry. And these cheap compatible cartridges once used cannot be remanufactured and just end up as a waste in the landfills adding to the environmental hazard. Further, the quality and quantity of the toners filled in these cartridges has been decreasing over time. Though they sound cheap to the price-sensitive customers, they cost more in the long-run besides delivering poor print quality and low yield.  The imaging aftermarket started with the intention to remanufacture and recycle used OEM cartridges as one of the noble intentions which reduces e-waste and also saves cost to the users, besides delivering far higher quality compared to compatible cartridges. Today, importers and traders are competing with one another to deliver the low-priced spurious cartridges, often on 5-10 rupees margin which is not healthy for the Industry.

Indian government is encouraging domestic manufacturing but few in the imaging aftermarket industry are willing to make the cartridges in India due low returns on investment. Even on GEM, several sellers are misrepresent their products as Made in India and are supplying them at very low margins. Frankly speaking sellers in the industry are not doing ethical business any longer.

Why Quality Matters: Recent feedback has underscored the growing customer dissatisfaction with the yield and print quality of certain cartridges. Subpar performance of these products has led to increased complaints. While importing lower-yield cartridges might seem cost-effective initially, it fails to deliver the long-term value our customers expect and deserve.

Environmental Responsibility: Beyond customer concerns, lower-yield cartridges have a significant environmental impact. Frequent replacements lead to increased waste and a larger environmental footprint. With the increasing focus on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations, it is crucial that we align our practices with sustainable, eco-friendly standards. High-yield cartridges, designed to last longer, help reduce waste and minimize environmental impact.

The Case for High-Quality Cartridges: In the light of these issues, I strongly advocate for a shift towards importing only high-quality, high-yield cartridges. This transition will:

1. Enhance Customer Satisfaction: Superior performance and longer yield will result in happier customers, fewer complaints, and stronger loyalty.
2. Align with Environmental Standards: High-yield cartridges support a sustainable business model, reducing waste and ensuring EPR compliance.
3. Strengthen Market Position: Offering reliable, high-quality products will set us apart from competitors and solidify our market reputation.

I’m sincerely calling on the industry as a whole to address these critical issues we are facing today and urge all the industry players to reconsider their current sourcing strategies and commit to importing cartridges that meet the highest quality and yield standards, which will not only bolster our customer relations but also demonstrate our commitment to environmental sustainability. I thank you for reading this humble article and I look forward to a collective and collaborative action to make the India aftermarket imaging industry more responsible, customer-centric, environment-friendly and sustainable for the quality-oriented brands.

AUTHOR: Mr. Lalit KumarRakhecha, Founder of Softline Sales Corporation (a Chennai-based importer and trader of aftermarket imaging consumables), has over 3 decades of insightful experience in the aftermarket imaging industry. He emphasizes on customer satisfaction and environmental responsibility. He expresses his frustration with the current price-sensitive market and the suppliers of the cheap, substandard consumables in India which is leading to a continuous decline in quality and ethical standards.

Covered By: Imaging Solution / Softline Sales Corporation

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