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2 Year Warranty on ALL products
Why Plant Managers Love Our Surplus Buy-Back Programs
to (and why you should too)
When you’re running a manufacturing plant, every minute, every square foot of storage, every dollar tied up in inventory — even if it “just sits there” — matters. That’s why savvy plant managers are increasingly turning to surplus-liquidation programs like the one offered by Industrial Automation Co. Our “We Buy Surplus” page lays out two clear paths: consignment and outright purchase. Get Started Today.
In this blog, we’ll break down why those programs are winning favor, how they solve real pain points in plant operations, and what you should ask (and expect) when evaluating a surplus buy-back partner.
1. The Hidden Costs of Surplus Inventory
Tied-Up Capital
Having spare drives, PLCs, HMIs, and motors sitting in storage means your money is locked. If items are obsolete or unused, they’re not earning anything — and they may even lose value over time. Surplus inventory quietly drains performance while adding administrative friction.
Storage, Handling & Obsolescence
Storage isn’t free. Warehouse space, shelving, handling labor, utilities, and the risk of damage or misplacement all add up. As product families evolve, yesterday’s “backup” can become tomorrow’s write-off.
Opportunity Cost & Risk
Every dollar trapped in idle spares is a dollar not invested in upgrades, training, or reliability improvements. The longer surplus sits, the greater the risk of functional obsolescence and lost resale value.
2. Why Our Surplus Buy-Back Program Hits Plant Manager Sweet Spots
Two flexible options — matching your risk, timing & need
- Consignment: Send us your surplus parts; we market them, handle logistics, and you keep 65% of each sale.
- Asset Recovery (Outright Purchase): Need a clean break and fast cash? We’ll quote and pay after inspection—no waiting on the market.
Choose the path that matches your objective: maximize return (consign) or maximize speed/cleanup (asset recovery).
Rapid cash-recovery & working-capital improvement
Outright purchase converts non-moving inventory into cash fast, freeing funds for automation and reliability initiatives.
Space & risk reduction
Clearing surplus frees storage space, reduces the risk of loss/damage, and simplifies audits—direct hits against carrying costs.
Built-in credibility that boosts buyer confidence
We list across major channels and back parts we sell with a 2-year warranty, making your surplus more marketable and unlocking better returns.
Simplified process & low hassle
We handle marketing, logistics, listing, and customer support. Your maintenance and operations teams stay focused on uptime.
Sustainability / circular economy
Selling instead of scrapping keeps equipment in circulation, reduces waste, and supports ESG goals.
3. Common Plant Manager Pain-Points & How Our Program Tackles Them
| Pain-Point | Why It’s Painful | How Our Program Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Idle assets gathering dust | Capital tied up + storage cost + risk of obsolescence | Convert to cash (asset recovery) or consign and keep 65% of each sale |
| Cramped storerooms | Harder to find required parts; inefficient workflows | Free space and improve material flow |
| Maintenance team distraction | Time wasted tracking and auditing surplus | We handle listings, logistics, and buyer support |
| Obsolescence / write-offs | Inventory becomes unusable or loses value | Sell sooner to reduce risk and capture value |
| Budget justification | Hard to fund upgrades with cash tied up | Free working capital for reliability and productivity |
| Sustainability / ESG pressures | Scrapping looks wasteful and provides no return | Sell and recirculate assets; reduce waste |
4. What to Look for (and Ask) in a Surplus Buy-Back Partner
- Do they offer both cash purchase and consignment options?
- What percentage do you keep on consignment sales (e.g., 65%)?
- Who handles logistics, listing, buyer support, and shipping?
- Do they provide a warranty on parts they sell to boost marketability? (IAC offers 2-years)
- Which brands and part types are accepted (e.g., Allen-Bradley, Siemens, ABB, Mitsubishi—drives, PLCs, HMIs, motors, modules)?
- How fast is payment for outright purchase? How transparent is the payout process for consignment?
- Do they have a strong buyer network and site traffic (IAC: 30,000+ monthly visitors)?
- How do they verify condition and handle hard-to-sell or obsolete items?
5. Case Story (Hypothetical, but Realistic)
A mid-sized food & beverage plant has a storeroom full of excess drives, PLC modules, and obsolete HMIs from past upgrades. The parts have been sitting for 24 months, occupying ~400 sq ft. Finance estimates carrying costs near 20% of value annually across space, handling, and shrink.
- They selected 200 items for an outright quote. Within 10 business days, they cleared the items for cash and freed up 400 sq ft—funds helped offset an upcoming drive-upgrade project.
- They placed ~400 items into consignment; within 90 days, ~60% had sold. They achieved a 65% revenue per sale with monthly visibility into item status.
- Maintenance staff shifted from auditing shelves to proactive reliability work, resulting in a measurable impact on uptime.
The payoff: reduced carrying cost, freed capital, cleaner storeroom, and a maintenance team focused on value-add tasks.
6. How to Get Started (Step-by-Step)
- Inventory & Segregate: Identify unused, obsolete, or low-likelihood-of-use parts.
- Classify & Prioritize: Choose consignment (higher potential value) vs. asset recovery (speed and simplicity).
- Contact Us: Use the form on We Buy Surplus.
- Inspection / Pick-up: We review, quote, and coordinate logistics.
- Transaction: Get paid after inspection (asset recovery) or track sales and payouts (consignment).
- Reinvest or Optimize: Apply recovered funds to reliability upgrades, storeroom optimization, or automation projects.
- Repeat & Improve: Make surplus reviews an annual or semi-annual practice.
7. Final Thoughts
For plant managers focused on reliability, cost control, uptime, and operational excellence, surplus parts aren’t just unused inventory — they’re hidden liabilities. By partnering with Industrial Automation Co.’s surplus buy-back program, you turn that liability into a strategic asset: cash freed, space cleared, teams refocused, and storerooms optimized.
In a world of tight margins and evolving supply chains, the smart move is to monetize what you don’t need and reinvest in what drives performance.
Prefer to talk it through? Contact our team.