The lifetime of a copier

[Rudi]

Hi guys , i was just wondering about the proper life span of a copier , reason for this is because we get alot of techs asking questions about copiers that i have forgotten about and today i had a machine that was installed by our company in 1998 the machine was still in good nick but i told the customer it is unrepairable because i know if we had to repair it the dude will keep bringing it back so i reffered him to sales.Personally i think it should be no longer than 3 years and used machines should be scrapped and thrown away (recycled in other words).

[fixthecopier]

What did the salesman tell the customer the life was? I worked on a 10 year old analog because the salesman told him it would last 15 years, and he expects to get it. These service agreements that get renewed every year keep you working on junk. It would be great to only have newer machines in the field, but life aint gonna work that way!

[blackcat4866]

I rely on the availablity of parts. Depending on the model, that could be anywhere from 7 to 15 years. The main factor is whether that model was popular. I still see, and work on HP LJ8100, HP LJ5si, HP LJ4000. Just as long as I can get the parts. But I never promise, or even hint at how long that time period might be. It really comes down to whether there is a market for the parts suppliers to cater to. =^..^=

[fixthecopier]

Don't forget the old trusty LJ4, I love those things.

[bilyahn]

We have a few machines that we service on a regular basis that are 10 - 15 years old and are working great for the customer. When I get asked this question I normally answer that it is like a car (since some of them cost that much LOL). Lease agreements are normally for 5 years so the machine should have a life expectancy of, at least, that long. But I also tell the customers it depends on the availibility of parts, for Sharp it seems they keep stock on their machines for 10 years. We have local competitors that sell people a machine and then in 3 years tell them they can't get parts, that's a poor business practice if you ask me. It either means the company sells junk or doesn't care about the product they sell.

Bil

[Ducttape n Glue]

The actual lifetime is determined by the manufacturer in its design criteria and should be available from each. From that determination, I believe it is plus one year for spare parts availability, after that time it is what ever the manufacturer has left in stock. It is all calculated in the beginning as to expected units sold and spare parts mortality and etc, etc. Heck, one time Xerox wanted to sell me all there Xerox 2510 spare parts inventory and they had thousands of parts left 20 years after the introduction of the copier. My experience shows most manufacturers are pretty well stocked up to about 7 years after discontinue date. Your mileage may vary. If you want a specific timeline, ask your manufacturer for the "Lifetime of the product" as they determined in their design criteria.
In the US auto industry I know they follow a 10 years after model year, spare parts will be provided. Is it a law, a statutory requirement, I don't know and I don't know if there is a specific law for spare parts in the copier printer industry. There is also "Voluntary" and "Statutory" as key words in any requirement.
If anybody is a member of BTA, they can ask for a legal opinion. Please keep us informed if you do.

Also, Rudi, since I see you used the term " good nick" I figure you are outside the US and may very well follow a different set of standards.

[cobiray]

The machine will last as long as you can get parts. I wouldn't tell the customer this as it will counter act new sales, but in reality it's the truth. Light use machines (read oversold) will last longer than heavy used machines (read undersold). Environment also has an effect on the longevity. If you're looking for a rule of thumb go with 5 years.

[Vulkor]

We "hope" to have customers get new machines every 5 years. Many of their machines barely last that long with 35cpm machines going over 1.4million. I prefer 30-45 cpm machines to be retired before 1mil. 15-28cpm 500K is a good mark. Anyone machine 51cpm or higher "should" last in the millions easy with proper maintenance. But Analog and First Gen Digital. Are really getting hard to get parts for. We've done our best to get most of those out of the field.

10 years is insane, but sadly we have a few that are pushing 15.

[jonhiker]

We "hope" to have customers get new machines every 5 years. Many of their machines barely last that long with 35cpm machines going over 1.4million. I prefer 30-45 cpm machines to be retired before 1mil. 15-28cpm 500K is a good mark. Anyone machine 51cpm or higher "should" last in the millions easy with proper maintenance. But Analog and First Gen Digital. Are really getting hard to get parts for. We've done our best to get most of those out of the field.

10 years is insane, but sadly we have a few that are pushing 15.

I try to stay away from "years" and go with copy count and of course, parts availability. the customer seems to understand that number better and are more open to replacing a machine when it needs it vs the old, "oh...isn't this supposed to last X number of years?".

if it's a school or government contract for a certain time frame, we end up being creative in keeping some machines still running!

[Vulkor]

I try to stay away from "years" and go with copy count and of course, parts availability. the customer seems to understand that number better and are more open to replacing a machine when it needs it vs the old, "oh...isn't this supposed to last X number of years?".

if it's a school or government contract for a certain time frame, we end up being creative in keeping some machines still running!

Yeah lots of instances we bring loaner machines, But we don't tell customer their machine is too old and don't use a set date. Its basically till parts run out. I wish we would discontinue support when Parts Support is done that way we don't have customers mad when they are paying for maintenance and we can't get parts for their machine.