Your business might need product destruction services for any number of reasons. Maybe it’s old or defective inventory that you can’t sell. Obsolete merchandise or models that are proprietary to your business. Products that were damaged in transit to you. Old uniforms with company branding from former employees. Or maybe staff finally cleared out a storage room and your business has boxes and boxes of assorted stuff to get rid of from years past.
Understandably, product destruction isn’t something business leaders want to spend a lot of time or effort dealing with. They know that they can’t afford to let obsolete, damaged or off-spec products into someone else’s possession… but every minute that they spend thinking about getting rid of obsolete products is a minute that they’re not using to make money or grow the business.
Because they’re busy trying to keep so many plates spinning at once, business leaders sometimes approach product destruction with their priorities just slightly off-base. Taking shortcuts with product destruction can expose your business to liability and reputation damage. Slightly reframing the way you think about handling end-of-life products may help you avoid a security breach.
Common objective for product destruction: Getting rid of products as quickly and easily as possible.
Better objective for product destruction: Getting rid of products securely.
Throwing damaged or off-spec products in a dumpster is the easiest approach to product destruction, but not the right one. Once your business’s products leave your control, anyone could find them and do whatever they want with them. Protecting your intellectual property requires that you make sure products are physically destroyed rather than thrown away with other trash. Shredding is the best way to totally and permanently destroy everything from paper to leather to metal.
Common objective: Spending as little as possible.
Better objective: Paying for service and security.
Business leaders know that you get what you pay for. Be wary of anyone who wants to take your business’s products off your hands for free or for suspiciously low rates. Legitimate product destruction companies operate powerful industrial shredders and extensive security systems, employ well-trained staff, maintain certification with associations like NAID and comply with destruction industry best practices. A service provider that doesn’t take on all those costs can afford to offer low prices, but customers should ask themselves what corners are being cut.
Common objective: Getting the seller of damaged products to manage destruction.
Better objective: Oversee product destruction yourself and deal with the seller separately.
If you order a gadget for your home and it doesn’t work, it should be pretty easy to return it and get your money back. Getting a refund for damaged or off-spec products isn’t as simple as returning the shipment to the sender. Shipping products back is an expensive hassle that your business might have to pay for upfront. If the seller is international, you’ll also contend with global shipping delays and customs fees. Even if your products do get back to their country of origin, there’s no guarantee that they’ll make it to your seller. They could be destroyed at the port, or enter the black market. Rather than losing control of your off-spec products, oversee their destruction yourself. Then you can try going after the seller for a refund of your purchase price, plus whatever you spent for product destruction.
Common objective: Assuming products are appropriately destroyed.
Better objective: Following through until product destruction is complete.
“Trust, but verify” is a good policy for life in general and for product destruction specifically. Don’t consider your business’s off-spec or obsolete products destroyed until you’ve seen proof that they’re destroyed. That might mean having a member of your team visit the shredding facility to witness product destruction. Also, obtain a certificate of destruction from your shredder to keep for your records.
Northeast Data Destruction shreds all kinds of obsolete and off-spec products for our clients, from low-quality leather goods, clothing, security badges and more. We’ll work with your business to securely transport, destroy and recycle or dispose of your products with minimal effort required on your part. If you have any product destruction questions, contact me today.