Remanufacturing does not just make a difference inside the equipment. Careful attention is paid to the final appearance of the equipment as well. CDE replaces old plastic with brand new on almost every unit type sent to our facility for remanufacture. If new cases are not available for an equipment type, CDE cleans, sands, resurfaces and repaints each part for a brand-new appearance. The only way to guarantee unquestioned quality in the appearance of remanufactured units is to be sure they all have new or like-new plastic. By replacing all of the plastic, we have eliminated the subjective call of what is “good enough.” At CDE, if the plastic does not look brand new, it is not “good enough” and will never be shipped back to our customers.

CDE Production Environment

CDE has also created an innovative production environment with a single purpose in mind. Compared to other repair facilities, the most easily recognizable difference is the production layout. CDE’s facility is designed to produce large numbers of the highest quality remanufactured terminals and printers through the utilization of an assembly line design. While geared for maximum equipment output, the line has also been designed to produce the highest quality of work available in the marketplace. This unique balance has been achieved through the aggressive pursuit of standardization and more effective utilization of CDE’s work force.

Another obvious difference between the CDE facility and other repair facilities is that there is no “tech bench” setup. At most facilities, one technician receives the unit in the box, unpacks it, cleans the plastic, assesses the damage, fixes the unit, repacks it and delivers it for shipping. At CDE, the focus of the technicians is solely on the remanufacturing process and the end result is a high-quality product. When equipment is received, each and every unit is disassembled prior to entering the production line so the CDE technicians can focus on what is really most important, the total functionality of every component.

Standardization

In addition to our production environment enhancements, another significant factor in CDE’s pursuit of quality has been the standardization of materials and procedures. Every terminal and printer component is put through a computer-driven battery of tests and analysis during the pre-test phase of the remanufacturing process. This phase ensures that the remanufacturing process addresses any and all weaknesses within the unit, guaranteeing a higher quality end product.

Standardization of plastics has made it possible for CDE to provide the added advantage of offering the highest levels of cosmetic appeal for refurbished equipment in the industry. CDE’s assembly line allows for the replacement of all plastic, lenses and keypads for every unit. The new lens is covered by a plastic film that remains on the unit until the merchant receives it. CDE suggests that customers leave this film on the equipment in order to give the look and feel of a new piece of equipment to every refurbished unit provided to your merchants. CDE’s unmatched and unquestionable quality level in providing a “better than new” piece of equipment will help our customers guarantee complete merchant satisfaction.

Database

CDE has compiled the most extensive database of information regarding product performance and durability. We make that information available to our customers every day to help them better manage their equipment portfolio. This information allows CDE’s customers to track their warranty failures as broadly as by type of equipment to as detailed as which capacitors on a Tranz 380x2 are likely to fail and when. This database is another tool CDE makes available to give every advantage in managing their merchant base.

Receipt of Equipment

Disassembly

At the disassembly station, we remove and discard all old and discolored plastic and send only the internal components to be repaired and upgraded through our production facility. Freed from dealing with plastic issues, our technicians concentrate on the total functionality of the device.

Pre-Test

Every device that enters the CDE facility is run through a rigorous computer-generated battery of tests to determine which parts warrant replacement and/or upgrade. At this stage in the diagnostic process, our Process Control System (PCS) creates an individual on-line work order for each device as it progresses through the facility.

The Pre-Test station is driven by the PCS with measurements to be recorded for each of the board components and systems. This system captures the minute details of each unit’s components as they are tested for further analysis. Standardization of the test procedures by PCS guarantees that every unit received at our facility is thoroughly tested and evaluated to determine failure causes and potential future failures. This is why the equipment remanufactured at CDE continues to enjoy the lowest warranty failure rate in the field.

At the Pre-Test station, all components and systems that do not meet or exceed the manufacturer’s specifications for brand new equipment are recorded. The substandard components and systems will be replaced in the next step in the process. In many cases, CDE will replace not only the failed component(s) but also any surrounding components that are in a series. Based on CDE’s extensive repair experience, in many cases, when one component in an electronic system is failing, the other parts are usually affected by the failure and will consequently suffer failures as well, usually within a short period of time. Replacing a series of components within the unit has enabled CDE to prevent subsequent failures of those units and keep them at the merchant’s location, thereby reducing the merchant’s downtime and your repair costs.

The Pre-Test procedures are highly customized by client as well as by model type. For instance, should a customer wish to receive reporting on whether terminals are being received with merchant abuse, the Process Control pre-test program allows that data to be recorded and presented to customers in reports when requested. Pre-test also records terminals received in working order which provides data that can help customers evaluate whether help desk personnel are ordering unnecessary deployments. CDE is focused on providing to customers the data necessary to not only manage inventory but also to assist the help desk and customer service departments as well.

Below are some examples of Process Control tests that are performed during the Pre-Test phase along with a brief description of the parameters and specifications for each test.

Proprietary Information Security

The safety of proprietary merchant and processor information is of the utmost importance to CDE. When a terminal is received at the Pre-Test station, any remaining programming is immediately cleared completely from memory prior to advancing the unit through the facility. Customers can be assured that as an independent facility CDE will always undertake the highest security procedures to safeguard the customer’s information at all times.

Component Replacement

Based on the comprehensive testing of each unit at our Pre-Test station, CDE technicians will remove all failing components and replace them with new components to bring the unit back to manufacturer’s new performance specifications again.

After parts have been replaced, technicians will test the unit immediately to be sure that the units are functioning properly before moving on to the next stage of the remanufacturing process.

In many cases, CDE has managed to improve the overall quality of our remanufactured terminals by improving the quality of the parts we use in their remanufacture. A good example of this effort in action is in the replacement of the original VeriFone display in the Tranz 380. Rather than use a display known to be prone to dark spots and early failure, CDE sought out an alternate source that burns 50% brighter and doubles the life of the display. CDE has never functioned under the assumption that because something is an OEM part, it cannot be improved upon. In many cases, evaluating terminals down to the components to be used in their repair will translate to significant reliability gains for our customers.

Print Mechanisms

It is also during this stage CDE will remanufacture the print head mechanism should it be necessary. CDE currently manufactures print head mechanisms for numerous manufacturers including: VeriFone, Citizen and Hypercom. For additional information and a more in-depth discussion of this process, please refer to the section on Print Head Mechanism Repair.

Assembly

After all parts and components have been repaired and upgraded, equipment is sent for assembly with new or refinished cases, lenses and accessories. As part of our commitment to consistent quality, CDE will always provide new or refinished plastic for every piece that travels through the facility. There is no such thing as a “clean and test” unit at CDE because unless the plastic is new every time, quality can never be completely assured. It is the only true way to guarantee the cosmetic quality of each piece processed and achieve the uniformity of the “brand new” appearance for which CDE is well known.

Burn-in

When terminals have been completely remanufactured, they are placed on our “burn-in” rack for a minimum of 15 hours of continuous testing. CDE’s burn-in procedures emulate extremely heavy merchant usage conditions in the field. Every piece of equipment CDE remanufactures is run through our demanding burn-in test battery. During the burn-in, transactions and diagnostics are run continuously through the terminal. If equipment fails at any time, it is returned to the technical priority station for additional service.

 

CDE has developed a similar field-testing environment for refurbished printers. At our printer testing station, all printers undergo the same 15 hours of continuous testing as the terminals. Each printer will print receipt after receipt prior to being approved and moved on to packaging. If the printer is going to fail, running these batteries of tests will certainly find it.

The ability to run burn-in tests for both terminals and printers allows an excellent look at our own quality procedures every day. If we see a specific problem emerge in more than one unit, we immediately investigate our procedures and if necessary make the changes to be sure it never becomes a quality issue for our customers.

Final Test

After successfully completing the burn-in test, each terminal is run through a final battery of testing prior to packaging. CDE runs an actual Visa/MasterCard authorized transaction on every terminal remanufactured at our facility. Every terminal at Final Test is tested to its full capabilities with transactions run with actual “dial out” on every speed supported by the terminal (300, 1200 and 2400 baud). After a terminal has completed final test, the receipts generated in the transaction tests are packaged with each unit, so that the merchant can be assured that they are receiving a tested, working unit without exception.



Packaging

CDE applies a label to the back of each piece of equipment, showing:

• POS Terminals
• Printers/Print Mechanisms
• Check Readers
• Card Readers
• Pin Pads

Equipment can be bulk packed or individually packed and shipped per the customer’s instructions. Though it may not be of use due to branding issues with your merchant base, CDE also offers complete customization of boxes and labels.