Southgate Global encourages industry to repair not replace equipment

Southgate Global is encouraging those operating in the warehouse, manufacturing, retail, e-commerce, post and parcel and 3PL industries to consider what machinery and equipment can be repaired instead of replaced.

It said according to a report by Deloitte published in 2024, discarded repairable goods account for 35 million tons of waste, 30 million tons of resources and 261 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year in the EU.

Southgate is urging customers to consider repair or renovation across its entire packing and material handling equipment portfolio.

This covers carts, trolleys, shredders and strapping equipment through to void fill systems, mobile power workstations and more.

According to data analysis by Southgate, the carbon footprint of replacing a roll cage trolley is six times greater than the carbon footprint created to repair it.

This is due to the use of new raw materials and the manufacturing processes involved in replacing them. This also covers steel and aluminium, emissions generated during welding and transportation.

Its Technical Services team aims to extend product life for years into the future and is on hand to help identify what is worth repairing and what has come to the end of its useful life.

Southgate said one of its customers has made significant steps towards its sustainability goals by assessing repair not replace options.

The large e-commerce business faced significant downtime due to damaged carts and trolleys.

Southgate said through its maintenance plan and repairs, the organisation was able to ‘reduce downtime and Capex by over £40m’.

John Maher, head of technical services, Southgate Global, said: “We understand how detrimental it can be to an organisation when a piece of machinery or equipment stops working. And with the ability to order a replacement in a matter of minutes, which could arrive the following day, we appreciate why a business might have chosen to replace instead of repair items.

“However, we can offer a viable and more sustainable alternative to replacing equipment each time it needs repairing. We’re on hand to help organisations meet their sustainability goals, without compromising on the quality of equipment or their operational productivity.”