Establishing a company that takes slightly used computers and makes them “good as new,” brother and sister Ken and Linda Chan founded Ironman Refurbished Business Computers in Chandler in 2010 and recently launched a mobile-accessible e-commerce site to expand sales nationwide.
IRBC specializes in the reconditioning of top-consumer-rated, business-grade Dell, Lenovo and HP laptop and desktop computers due to their overall performance, reliability and rugged casing. “Business-grade” means not only that the computers are built with more rugged casing but also include features that businesses still rely on but have been discontinued for the home market. “We often deal with automotive companies, schools, software and engineering firms, etc., that need options designed to work in high-usage and sometimes harsh environments,” Ken Chan says.
Models are available for basic home/office use and can be customized for “power users,” including gamers and to support call centers that need to connect multiple laptops to a monitor. “Our true niche is the customization of the laptops and desktops to accommodate our client’s specific computing needs,” Ken says, citing as an example engineering firms that use AutoCad and other processor-intensive applications. “In those cases, we configure the units with dedicated graphics cards and other needed upgrades.”
Says Linda Chan, “People can speak to us directly, even text us, to get their questions answered. We’re happy to speak to less tech-savvy customers in terms they can understand, but we also design custom systems for large operations.” In fact, although their target market includes individuals, they also offer bulk sales on the durable models that can be used in the harshest of environments — including automotive shops and in schools.
Ensuring their own sources are reliable is important. Ken says their inventory sources include companies that lease laptops and recycling businesses. “We also only work with suppliers who have Microsoft- or Dell-certified technicians, to ensure the units are properly reconditioned and tested.”
