Composition and value of returned industrial information technology equipment revisited

At the 2000 ISEE Conference, the authors presented data on the compositional make-up and the characteristic values associated with recoveries expected from returned personal computer systems, associated with parts, and commodities received at the IBM_TM Asset Recovery Center in Endicott, NY. Information was obtained from a sample of 1999 returns and data was displayed comparing the values of the commodities, parts, and systems vs. system age. Additionally, a comparison of machine resale value by technology was also shown. Key points indicated the expected rapid drop in system value due to changing technology as well as a transitional breakpoint between the third and fourth year of a systems age where the parts contained in a system start to have more value than the system itself. This paper refreshes the study with the values obtained from a 2001 return stream and compares the data to that collected in 1999 to determine if the trends and conclusions have changed. The authors also present data and conclusions for system parts recovery value versus technology.