Hey, nobody’s perfect—not that it’s much comfort when your business is stuck with off-spec items. Maybe something went wrong in the manufacturing process for a new proprietary product and the prototype doesn’t meet your standards, or you’ve received shipments of a product that has since been recalled or was damaged in transit. Whatever the reason, businesses often end up with off-spec items that aren’t usable but also don’t belong in the trash.
Using shredding services is one of the only ways to make sure that your off-spec items are truly destroyed. It might seem like the easiest short-term solution is to throw them in the dumpster or send them off to the closest landfill. But the moment you walk away from those items, you forfeit control over what happens to them next. If you wouldn’t want a reseller or competitor to take possession of your off-spec products, using shredding services is the best way to permanently destroy them.
Northeast Data Destruction once had a shredding client who had imported 14,000 pieces of clothing from Asia to sell in its U.S. stores. When the items arrived, the retailer discovered that the quality of the fabric and stitching wasn’t up to its standards. Returning 14,000 items to the manufacturer would have been an expensive ordeal, and the company couldn’t risk letting its low-quality clothing enter the marketplace. Using shredding services allowed this retailer to quickly and easily dispose of its off-spec products so it could move forward.
Shredding even helped the company recoup expenses. This retailer paid $30,000 in duty fees to U.S. Customs when importing the shipment. The company was able to get a duty refund, but only by providing a Certificate of Destruction proving that the defective items had been destroyed.
Shredding Services for Off-Spec Products
Using shredding services to destroy off-spec products is just as easy as throwing these items away, but without any of the negative consequences that may result from improper disposal. And there are quite a few potential negative consequences.
For one, shredding allows a business with off-spec products to limit its liability. Say a company orders thousands of reusable water bottles printed with its logo as part of a promotional event. When the water bottles arrive, someone notices that bottle lids have a removable spout that could pose a choking hazard. The company can’t risk letting any of those branded bottles go out into the community and potentially hurting someone. When off-spec products are potentially harmful in any way, permanently destroying them is essential for minimizing any liability exposure.
Properly disposing of off-spec items can be a critical part of reputation management. A reseller may be able to sell a business’s off-spec products on the grey market; that is, they may be able to resell the products legally but without the manufacturer’s permission. Having its name attached to defective or low-quality products may damage a business’s credibility with its customers. A high-end brand doesn’t want its name to appear on poorly-made products appearing in discount stores, for example; customers may start to see the brand as less aspirational than they once did.
Protecting proprietary information is another reason why businesses rely on shredding services for off-spec product disposal. A company that’s creating a new medical device or designing a new fashion line might go through several rounds of prototypes before perfecting the design—and their competitors would love to get a sneak peek. Shredding all the samples and test products protects the business’s secrets.
Shredding services can be used to permanently destroy non-hazardous products of many kinds. Even hard drives, security badges, and other off-spec electronic components can be destroyed using commercial shredding services. Making a habit of shredding off-spec products is just one element of data security best practices for businesses of all kinds.
Northeast Data Destruction’s shredding services have helped countless businesses destroy their off-spec products. We can provide pickup services using our sealed, GPS-tracked vehicles. Once off-spec items arrive in our secure, NAID “AAA”-certified facility, they’re shredded into tiny, unrecognizable pieces. The process is fast and a representative from the client business can arrange to witness it from start to finish. With the help of our sister company Miller Recycling, we safely recycle any material generated by the shredding process.
How can Northeast Data Destruction help your business dispose of off-spec items, or meet its other shredding needs? I’m happy to answer questions or provide more information. Contact me today!