Refurbished Equipment: Heating Up and Coming of Age

June 15, 2010

Magazine: Solid State Technology – The refurbished semiconductor equipment market is heating up quickly. In a recent report, Gartner predicts that 2010 will see a jump of 65% over 2009 figures [1]. And considering all sources of supply, the total market in 2010 could reach $2.1B [2]. The recent forecasts notwithstanding, the refurbished equipment segment has always been hard to define. Until around 2002 it was fragmented and disorganized with many brokers simply “flipping” equipment from one fab to another. Similar to real estate agents who broker homes between buyer and seller, these brokers had little invested aside from time and effort. There was a huge separation from buying new and going to the used market where the motto was often: no support, no service, no guarantees.

As the semiconductor industry has matured, however, and the original device manufacturer (ODM) has become more demanding, the gap has narrowed. Now OEMs, such as Suss MicroTec and KLA-Tencor, have established their own internal refurbished equipment divisions, and the “refurbisher” segment has emerged. Both will continue to grow and offer the end customer a global presence for refurbished options.

Read full article: [Read Solid State Technology Magazine Article]