At every stage of our industry, from component manufacturers to end-users there is a common requirement.
We all need to know if the remanufactured cartridge will give the performance we need. For the component manufacturers (especially the toner and OPC people) the need is to compare the characteristics of their products with the OEM. For the component distributors the need is to put together combinations of consumables and components that will give the best performance.
For the remanufacturer the need is to check that the combination of parts and manufacturing techniques will give the performance they require to sell their cartridges at the right price. Finally, the end-user needs a way to compare the value of the various offers of remanufactured and OEM cartridges. Above all, everyone in this chain needs an accurate and reliable way to describe the performance of their product to the next link in the distribution chain. The answer to these needs is STMC.
STMC (the Standardised Test Committee) was formed in response to the demand from end-users for a standardised method to describe the performance of remanufactured cartridges. Until then many remanufacturers simply did not know at what density their cartridges printed; they did not know how many pages the cartridge would print; they actually did not know if their cartridge really did represent better value than the OEM. At the same time the OEM was able to claim that non-OEM cartridges were not good value as they did not print as many pages – and our industry had no answer.
The committee consists of members from all parts of the remanufacturing industry; remanufacturers, parts suppliers, consumable manufacturers and some people with skills in associated industries like densitometry and test methods. Consequently the STMC does not represent the interests of any part of the industry or any company – it represents all of us. The members of STMC and the instructors are all volunteers.
The purpose of the committee is to find and teach test methods which can be used by our industry to answer the questions above. It is important to understand that STMC is not trying to impose standards on remanufacturers – it’s aim is only to teach remanufacturers how to measure performance accurately and consistently. It is the remanufacturers responsibility to decide if that performance is good enough!
The test methods chosen by STMC are combined into a step-by-step guide making it is simple and cost-effective to measure the performance of a cartridge. The equipment required is simple to use, robust and relatively inexpensive – some of it is already commonly found in remanufacturing companies.
STMC Certified companies proudly display the STMC logo on their products and sales literature – the logo is an internationally recognised sign of responsible and honest remanufacturing. Indeed many large and international buyers already insist on STMC Certification as a condition of purchasing. Why not take a few minutes to find out what it takes to join this elite group of companies?