ReCellular and Valutech Outsourcing Join Device Renewal Forum's Leadership Team

NEW ORLEANS, May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Device Renewal Forum (DRF) today announced that ReCellular, Inc. and Valutech Outsourcing, LLC have joined the Device Renewal Forum's (DRF) executive board. Together with founding members Brightstar, eRecyclingCorps, ModusLink Global Solutions, Sprint Nextel and the CDG, they will collaborate with the DRF to create a technology-agnostic "gold standard" for refurbishing, testing and certifying renewed devices.

Since the DRF was formally announced during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in February 2012, the forum has witnessed substantial interest from the wireless, environmental and reverse logistics industries. The goal of the forum is to develop and promote a common and globally accepted certification process for renewed wireless devices. The forum will use existing standards and "best practices" to ensure data security and privacy is not compromised, and that only high-quality and properly functioning devices reenter the marketplace.

The forum's technical committee has begun drafting its program plan, technical plan, process guide and standards of grading, while the advocacy committee has established the forum's brand and certification mark. The organization has received increasing interest and support for their renewed device certification process.

"Over the past twenty years, we have become an industry leader in recycling, refurbishing and reselling of cell phones," remarked Steve Manning, chairman, president and CEO of ReCellular. "We were excited to learn about the Device Renewal Forum and immediately pursued the opportunity to take on a leadership role within the DRF.  We look forward to helping create a 'gold standard' for renewed devices that will further improve product quality and customer satisfaction, while minimizing toxic waste."

 "As a leading remanufacturer and reverse logistics provider of wireless devices, we were eager to become a member of the Device Renewal Forum's executive board," stated Michael Narlinger, president and CEO of Valutech Outsourcing. "We consider the Device Renewal Forum's goal of achieving a globally accepted standard for renewed wireless devices an important endeavor to encourage the increased use of these products."

"We look forward to the valuable contributions that ReCellular and Valutech Outsourcing will bring to the forum," said Chad Lander, director of product quality and reverse logistics at Sprint Nextel.  "Their knowledge, experience and extended customer base will ensure that we develop the best and most economical approach to certifying renewed devices."

"We are pleased to see growth in the membership of the DRF and look forward to the contributions of these new members in establishing a uniform standard for device renewal which consumers and carriers can trust", said David Edmondson, CEO, eRecyclingCorps.  "The expanding participation and interest in the DRF is reflective of the market demand for renewed technology across the wireless industry today."

"It's exciting to see the enthusiastic response that we are receiving from a wide variety of companies interested in becoming members of the DRF," said Perry LaForge, chairman of the DRF.  "We look forward to working with the founders and new members to drive this emerging market segment."

The forum is open to companies and organizations worldwide that want to make a positive and significant impact on the environment and the future of the wireless industry. 

For more information about the Device Renewal Forum (DRF), call +1 (714) 708-1355, email [email protected], or visit www.devicerenewalforum.org.

About ReCellular

With offices in the United States and Hong Kong, ReCellular Inc. is the world's leading electronics-sustainability firm. It provides solutions for the collection, reuse and recycling of used personal electronics that generate financial return for its partners, quality products for its customers, funding for charity organizations and protection of the environment. Corporate, charitable, consumer and wholesale information is available at www.ReCellular.com.

About Valutech Outsourcing

Valutech Outsourcing, LLC is a leading repair, remanufacturer, and reverse logistics provider of consumer electronic products.  Its suite of offerings includes: comprehensive triage, warranty adjudication, repair and refurbishment for both warrantable and non-warrantable devices, cosmetic and functional component reclamation, battery testing, de-kitting, kitting, end user fulfillment and receiving, bulk shipping and receiving, warehousing, and scrap liquidation.  In addition, Valutech IT solutions offer customers real-time data and asset tracking, customized reporting, and web and application development.  The company is based in Aliso Viejo, California. For more information about Valutech Outsourcing, visit www.valuout.com.

About DRF

Device Renewal Forum (DRF) is a trade association formed to expand the growth of the renewed wireless devices market by establishing a global and technology-agnostic "gold standard" for renewing, testing and certifying refurbished wireless devices. The DRF's goal is to ensure that only high-quality and properly functioning devices reenter the marketplace. By using industry best practices to renew, test and certify refurbished wireless devices, the demand for affordable phones can be fulfilled, while preserving consumer expectations, wireless network integrity and the environment. Its member companies include many of the world's leading service providers, distributors, device manufacturers, resellers, recyclers and reverse logistics companies.  For information about the DRF, visit www.DeviceRenewalForum.org.

SOURCE Device Renewal Forum