Design to Repair: Sustainability at ROEST
In a world where technology is getting smarter for consumers, are we as manufacturers also getting smarter? Instead of producing more clutter, do we produce a bigger value?
At ROEST, we are focused on creating a sustainable product for our customers, while building a sustainable business for our team.
“Have you ever owned a product that’s become worthless because a small part has failed? I sure have, and as the CTO of ROEST I can promise you that will not happen with your ROEST.”
Our responsibility
Sustainability is one of the most important values for our coffee community. As we are growing, we feel a responsibility to focus more attention on what sustainability means to us and how we can contribute as a manufacturer.
We live in a world of “this year’s model”- a desire to always own something newer and better. The team behind ROEST is no different, we also have a desire to own something better. And we acknowledge that our customers can have this desire as well.
improvements
Our approach to sustainability is therefore to make all improvements available for our customers, both existing and new comings, so that they can upgrade their roasters themselves instead of buying a new one.
The new fan impellers (on the left) are far superior to the old design (on the right). Made from a stronger material with improved design making them stronger, easier to clean and service.
Built to last
For us, repair stands for designing and manufacturing products with longer durability and repairability. Sverre Simonsen: “Have you ever owned a product that's become worthless because a small part has failed? I sure have, and as the CTO of ROEST I can promise you that will not happen with your ROEST.” Our roasters are engineered to last longer because they can be repaired. This is better for us, our customer and for the environment.
FIX IT YOURSELF
The development team at ROEST is constantly increasing the quality of our product. At the same time, we want our customers to be able to handle repairs themselves. And you know what? It’s fun and rewarding to repair something and to make it last longer!
Brothers Trond and Sverre built ROEST for easy repairs so it’s better for us, our customers and for the environment.
Products using smart technology to assist you can be of tremendous help, but they can also fail or need an upgrade. Luckily, there is no need to panic. The repairability of ROEST means you don’t need to send your sample roaster back to our production facility. You can fix it yourself. And to avoid the headache of not being able to roast for several days, we commit to fully online support to help you resolve the problem.
Krzysztof from the Hard Beans roastery in Poland experienced the technical support when his power suddenly dropped: “I've contacted the Support Team and according to the behavior of the machine they localized the issue. Right afterwards the Support Team prepared the shipment of the spare part heating element which arrived within 48 hours. In the meantime I've received manuals and tutorial videos how to replace the part correctly without damaging other parts. When the package arrived, with additional parts and necessary elements I've easily replaced the heating element. In the end the Support Team via the Internet double checked the software settings.”
Accessibility of spare parts
Design for repair also means that spare parts are readily available and accessible, both from us, our producers, or some of the global suppliers we use.
the right suppliers
Finding the right suppliers has been a time-consuming process for us, but we think it is important from a sustainability point of view. In addition, this means we find producers that can produce high-quality products with a low “scrape rate” , meaning that the vast majority of the parts we receive can be used. This also benefits our customers, as the parts we place inside ROEST are of very high quality, providing a long service life.
“Our customers welcome the idea of being able to fix the machine themselves instead of going through troubles of sending it back and losing the time without a sample roaster.”
OPPORTUNITY FOR CUSTOMERS
The exciting part about buying a ROEST, is the focus on understanding how the machine actually works - not only when you use it for roasting the coffee. We encourage our customers to not be afraid of opening the roaster to fix problems, do maintenance or installing new features. You can learn so much, and you can get assistance with our guidance, service manuals and video tutorials. The best part - you don’t need any super skills, and the tools you need you probably already own.
Nat Huadsoontorn in Thailand also ran into a small issue and was surprised how easy it was to replace a spare part: “I replaced the ventilation fan - the good thing is on the touchscreen of ROEST it was saying - Venting fan Error - so I knew which part faced a problem. It’s nice to be able to fix a roaster by myself. It’s like a shortcut - in about 20 minutes I was roasting again.“
Investment for the future
When investing in professional equipment, customers should have in mind the value of the product, and not only its features and design. Customer support and service details are what is often underestimated before the purchase.
Julia Richardson, Head of Sales at ROEST is daily in contact with our clients: “Our customers welcome the idea of being able to fix the machine themselves instead of going through troubles of sending it back and losing the time without a sample roaster.”
So, what is the true value of a ROEST sample roaster, besides its unmatched features?'
Easy to repair: service manuals, tutorials, e-shop with spare parts
Free online customer support
One year warranty, with free spare parts. After one year you only pay for the parts and customer support remains free.
ROEST sample roaster comes with free spare heating element and basic tools
Free firmware and software updates
Possibility to upgrade parts as we continue to improve the roaster and its features
Recycle
While it's still a long time until the first ROEST needs to retire, it is good to know that we have chosen materials that are easy to recycle. The majority of the parts in ROEST are already containing recycled materials. And we chose materials that have a natural finish, like brushed stainless steel. We do this not only because it looks good, but because it's the sustainable choice.
Even old prototypes have been repurposed as a beer tap at the office, for the enjoyment of our guests.
