For fleet management experts, purchasing computer workstations with their own funds makes no sense given the accelerated obsolescence of this type of equipment. In their eyes, the company’s cash flow must first be used to finance its strategic activities. Although more common, the use of traditional bank financing is also contraindicated.
It burdens the company’s debt capacity without giving it the benefit of financial engineering tricks.
For several years, financing specialists have been promoting scalable financial leasing. For a monthly or quarterly rent, a company rents its equipment, upgrades it, if necessary, during the contract, and benefits from associated services such as insurance or maintenance. Progressive financial leasing also takes into account the residual value of the IT equipment, namely its value at the end of the rental period.
Cheap material, bad calculation
“On the second-hand market, there is a real appetite for certain brands which resell very well,” says Gwenhael Duval, director of consulting and director of offerings at Rigby Capital, the leasing subsidiary of the services company SCC. Apple terminals, for example, have a good rating on the second-hand market and retain, after 3 years, 30% of their original value. »
Ultimately, progressive financial leasing can cost less than the purchase itself. “The interest rate offered is then virtually negative. »
Conversely, choosing the cheapest hardware – such as laptops for 150 euros – presents, according to the expert, a bad calculation. Not only does the company no longer benefit from the residual value in the financial package, but the operation can prove costly over time due to additional maintenance costs. As part of their CSR policy, companies must also take into account the environmental and social impact of their IT equipment.
Strengthen the employer brand
“Choosing premium equipment or a brand strengthens an employer brand strategy,” continues Gwenhael Duval. It is a lever for attracting and retaining talent. » CEO and co-founder Betoobe, Sébastien Reverdy confirms the importance of staffing.
“20 to 30% of employees are attached to the physical appearance of the terminal. There should be no signs of wear. Conversely, a roughly equivalent proportion agrees to work with reconditioned equipment. » Employees must then take care of their terminals.
“Benefiting from the bonus when entering into an evolving financial rental contract, i.e. the immediate payment of the future resale value of the equipment, requires recovering equipment in good condition upon return,” notes Gwenhael Duval. To involve employees, it is possible to formalize their commitment by mentioning it in the user charter. In the second disaster, the company can also decide to provide the careless employee with equipment of a lower range.
Extend lifespan but not too much
Beyond the financial balance sheet, the carbon footprint weighs increasingly heavily in the balance, with the tightening of the regulatory context such as the REEN law against planned obsolescence. Upstream, recalls Isabelle Da Fonseca, manager of digital workspace offers at SCC France, “to choose the best eco-designed equipment in order to reduce the carbon impact linked to their manufacturing, their energy consumption and extend their lifespan. The Energy Star label or the sustainability index can guide this choice.
If the environmental issue encourages workstations to last beyond the 36 months of accounting depreciation, the costs linked to their maintenance must not, at the same time, explode. Let’s not forget the famous residual value either.
“Ademe recommends extending the lifespan of equipment as long as possible but beyond five years, they become difficult to use,” observes Isabelle Da Fonseca.
Furthermore, we must think about giving a second life to these terminals. At SCC France, equipment is recovered after 3 or 4 years of use, reconditioned and put back into the circular economy. ESN has created its own recycling company, Recyclea. Based in Montluçon, this adapted social utility company employs around 70% people with disabilities. Which contributes to the effort to employ people with disabilities (Agefiph).
Recyclea audits the equipment at the end of the leasing contract and assigns it a grade based on its condition: A (very good condition), B (a few scratches), C (to be repaired) or D (WEEE, waste electrical equipment and electronic). The computer data is erased according to Anssi recommendations and a certificate offered by Blancco, a publisher specializing in this erasure, is issued to customers.