Factronix: reclaimed components key to greener electronics

Can component reclaim and reuse really make a meaningful impact on sustainability in electronics?

Factronix CEO Stefan Theil believes it can — and must. “Component reclaim and reuse is one of the major topics for the future,” he said during an interview at Evertiq Expo Malmö 2025.

Shortly after presenting “Component Reclaim – a green solution for the electronic industry”, Theil shared his views on how reclaimed components can play a critical role in improving both sustainability and supply resilience.

Factronix specialises in services that give electronic components a second life — such as recovery, laser reballing, retinning, and advanced testing. According to Theil, the importance of these services became particularly clear during the component shortage crisis two years ago.

“You saw this during the component shortage crisis we had two years ago — it had a major impact on most EMS companies, and that’s when we really started working on this,” he explained. “Meaning, we’re taking off components — BGAs, QFNs, everything that’s valuable on the PCB — and we do a fully automated recycling process. That gives you a good third source, based on your existing components.”

The flow of counterfeit components always tends to increase during times of shortage. And in the hunt for parts during desperate times, there’s a real worry that one might end up with something of less-than-ideal quality. So how can manufacturers be sure that reused components haven’t been compromised in the process?

“Nobody wants to have counterfeit components, right?” Theil said. To mitigate this risk, Factronix offers a full-service test solution that includes both counterfeit detection and qualification.

“We can test the components — whether they’re counterfeit or not. We can qualify those components. We do that based on 6081,” he said. “We can do electrical tests. We can do full functional tests of the component to make sure the customer is on the safe side.”

Stefan Theil continues to say that in general, this is a big big problem – more counterfeit components entering the European market. However, he emphasised the importance of targeted testing rather than excessive testing.
“Don’t do too much testing — do the right test at the right time,” he said. “And that’s normally solderability and electrical functional testing.”

While sustainability is gaining traction, Theil said design for reclaim and reuse is still rare.

“Unfortunately, it's still a new territory,” he said, when asked whether EMS and OEM companies are designing products with component recovery in mind. “We’re just at the beginning. But I think this will have a major impact in the future — in the next coming years — to change that design philosophy, to think about reuse and recycling of PCB boards, and bring them back into the market.”

Looking ahead, Factronix plans to scale its operations to meet growing demand.

“We are facing higher volumes and need to be more automated, more qualified,” Theil said, adding that the company is aiming to expand its services across Europe. “Reduce, recycle — that’s the major point,” he concluded.

Factronix will continue its advocacy for greener electronics at Evertiq Expo Berlin on June 5, 2025, where Andrea Nagel, Product Manager for Factronix Service, will take the stage to talk about how services like component recovery, laser reballing, retinning, and advanced testing can extend the life of components and reduce electronic waste.