Page 35 from: April 2015

35April 2015

within the last

year alone, including

some 7500 whole machines.

Receiving more and more calls
To an ever-increasing extent, financial institu-

tions have been seeking ways to reduce the car-

bon footprint of their branches, according to

ACG’s founder and managing director Woody

Alderman. ‘Environmentally-friendly ATM

fleets are steadily gain-

ing ground in the

financial industry,’ he

explains. ‘We are

receiving more and

more calls from banks,

credit unions and

other companies that

are interested in refur-

bished machines.’

Although ACG’s glob-

al headquarters are located in Georgia, the

company has two additional sales and opera-

tional hubs – one in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the

other in Reading, UK. Between these three

locations, ACG has the capability to provide

customers with green ATM solutions in more

than 100 countries.

Components serialised
The first step in the refurbishment process is

disassembly. During this initial phase, the oper-

ations team completely dismantles the ATM by

removing all internal components, including

the fascia, safe, brackets, side panels and wiring

harness; in effect, the ATM is stripped down to

its shell or cabinet. All of the components that

have been removed from the machine are seri-

alised so that they can be kept together during

the next step of the process, namely repair.

Each ATM sub-assembly is fully repaired or

refurbished according to the scope of work

guidelines so that they can be recovered and

reinstalled in the finished product. Worn com-

ponents within the sub-assemblies are replaced,

the units are cleaned and then they are tested

for functionality. Components that cannot be

repaired are set aside for recycling.

‘Cash is still king’
With the global increase in payment by plastic,

one might expect the demand for ATM

machines to slow, with the result that long-term

prospects for ATM recyclers such as ACG could

be impaired. But while the company’s managing

director accepts plastic payments as ‘undoubt-

edly a staple in our global economic landscape’,

he goes on to insist that ‘cash is still king’.

Alderman cites the findings of a recent study

conducted in the UK where 57% of consumers

perceived cash to be the most secure form of

payment, followed by credit cards, debit cards

and contactless payment methods. The study

concluded that the popularity of plastic pay-

ments has given rise to ‘an ever-expanding wave

of financial crimes’.

The study also found that 93% of respondents

had made a cash withdrawal at an ATM within

the past month. ‘Therefore, ATMs are still

incredibly relevant in today’s market,’ Alder-

man points out. And that relevance will remain,

he firmly believes. ‘By the end of this year, there

will be an estimated 3.1 million ATMs installed

across the globe,’ he notes. ‘This represents

8.2% growth since 2010.’

Worldwide, the ATM market is expected to

continue its onward march at an annual com-

pound rate of 7.6% up to the year 2020, reach-

ing US$ 21.9 billion in transaction volumes.

Developing markets such as Africa, the Middle

East and Asia are key drivers of this projected

growth. ‘Clearly,’ Alderman concludes, ‘the need

for ATM recycling as well as refurbished

machines and spare parts will also increase.’

www.acgworld.com

The average ATM
contains the following
components:
• Monitor
• Card reader
• Printer
• Dispenser
• Cassettes
• Computer components
• Safe (hardened steel)
• Metals (steel and copper)Woody Alderman: the need for

ATM recycling will increase.

Each ATM sub-assembly is fully repaired or refurbished.

Used ATMs waiting to be dismantled.

RI-3 ATM recycling.indd 35 30-03-15 08:55