Multifunction office printers (MFP) maker and workflow automation solutions provider Fujifilm Business Innovation of Japan is expanding its resource circulation initiative by producing remanufactured printers in the Philippines.

Construction has started for the Circular Manufacturing Center (CMC) at the company’s imaging equipment factory in Laguna that will produce 5,000 remanufactured printers yearly, Fujifilm executive advisor Mutsuki Tomono and the company’s Philippine office’s president Hideaki Kato revealed during the CMC launching in Makati City on 8 July.

Philippine Economic Zone Authority director general Tereso Panga, who signed the CMC contract during the event, said Fujifilm is making the country its ASEAN hub for circular production.

“This milestone highlights Japan’s enduring confidence in our investment ecosystem and reinforces and reinforces PEZA’s advocacy for sustainable, innovation-driven industrialization,” Panga said.

Tomono said the CMC, which will start operation next year, is in line with Fujifilm’s Sustainable Value Plan 2030 which includes its recycling policy and promotion of circularity.

The company’s remanufactured printers started with the reuse of MFP parts in 1996. Production and sale of remanufactured MFPs began in 2010.

Remanufacturing enhances Fujifilm’s decarbonization efforts. The technology basically involves the collection of used printers, disassembly, cleaning and reassembly of reusable parts. Up to 84 percent of MFP parts are reused which translates to a 53 percent reduction in carbon footprint compared to the production of newly-built printers.

Tomono said remanufactured MFP is different from refurbished printers. The former is considered newly built with its print counter reset to zero and being given a new product name and serial number.

Refurbished printers, on the other hand, are cleaned ones with the product name, serial number and printer counter not changed.

Tomono added that remanufacturing printers reduce CO2 emissions as used machines will no longer be transported from Southeast Asia and Australia to Japan, but closer to the Philippines. Export of remanufactured printers to the Asia-Pacific countries from the CMC will also lower in transport emissions.

Meanwhile, Kato said remanufactured printers have a life of five to seven years before they can be remanufactured and used for another five to seven years.