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On October 22, 2024, Sage Sustainable Electronics (Sage) issued a press release via Businesswire to announce its acquisition of an electronics repair firm called Relectro. This acquisition is somewhat unique in Sage’s context because Relectro does not operate in Sage’s traditional ITAD space. It offers board-level and post-warranty repair for devices like laptops, tablets, and mobile handsets, which means that it operates in a stage that precedes Sage’s typical involvement. As such, we perceive this acquisition as a pathway for Sage to expand upstream in the ITAM sector.

This report provides an in-depth analysis of the ITAD market’s performance over the past two years, the key factors driving growth, and potential challenges. It also explores the strategic responses of industry leaders, including operational improvements and evolving service offerings, and assesses the outlook for 2025.

I was excited to learn that Ingram Micro (IM) filed for an IPO on the last day of September. Becoming a public company would give us better visibility on how the company is performing, even if its ITAD unit is small in comparison to its core business. The IPO filing by Platinum Equity would pave the way for the return of Ingram Micro to the public market after it left it in 2016. In 2021, Platinum Equity acquired it from previous owner, HNA Group, for $7.4 billion.

The recent news stories of Iron Mountain acquiring the Irish firm Wisetek have created a head-scratching moment. As I spoke to a number of executives in the ITAD space, the general reaction has been: Are we seeing another Arrow in the making? However, it would be naïve to believe that the purchase of three ITAD-related entities could in itself spell doom. Iron Mountain certainly has its work cut out in terms of integration, optimization and messaging, but there are plenty of opportunities ahead to properly leverage its three ITAD units.