Harrogate firm specialises in sustainable IT equipment

Meet the Harrogate IT equipment-refurbishing firm that’s becoming a global force for sustainable technological good

Harrogate-headquartered Techbuyer illustrates just what is possible when people like you - and us - come together to build a dream into reality.

From our humble beginnings in a suburban garage in 2005, we have grown into a global force for sustainable technological good, from the UK to the US, from Germany and France to Australia and New Zealand.

Yet what remains at the heart of this expansion is our total commitment to people - our staff, our customers and the wider community - and the planet we all live on, as well as a connection to our Yorkshire roots.

Do you want to make a positive difference in this turbulent world? Picture: Ryan Devenish

Techbuyer was founded by CEO Kevin Towers in Harrogate 17 years ago and today we specialise in the sustainable provision of new and quality refurbished server, storage and networking equipment plus laptops and desktops.

Our business offers forward-thinking alternatives that enrich IT performance and support environmental best practice. Alongside our range of new enterprise IT hardware, we also buy used parts and turn them into high-quality refurbished IT equipment, extending its lifecycle and at the same time maximising budgets for customers.

In Harrogate alone we have over 35,000sqft of warehousing. We configure more than 5,000 servers every year and data erase a whopping 12,000 hard drives every month in our UK engineering facilities – with the technical accreditations to back it all up.

We are driven by what is both a simple and a very complicated truth: the Earth cannot sustain humanity’s current practice of ‘take-make-waste' consumption much longer. In short, unless we can effect positive, sustainable change we won’t have a planet that can support the very people we care about – you and us.

Are you ambitious, creative and curious?

That is why we place so much store in working with people with the ‘right stuff’ rather than just the right qualifications. In other words, those who have the desire to push for a better world through what they do and how they do it.

Sustainability skills, or ‘green skills’ are widely sought after, with job postings requiring green talent growing eight per cent every year since 2015. These skills involve areas such as remediation, recycling, and knowledge of core environmental issues.

Reflecting this development, we have recently started providing IEMA sustainability training inhouse, led by our Sustainability Lead, to give our team as much knowledge on industry issues as possible and encourage the development of innovative solutions for our business to pursue.

As Josh Kidd, our Group Sales Director and a Techbuyer original, reveals: “Investing in people is a hallmark of the Techbuyer approach. From the very beginning we have stood firm on the idea of bringing in inexperienced people who want to work hard and progress; training them in the ‘Techbuyer Way’.”

We understand that a sustainable career is so much more than just a job that helps the planet. To Techbuyer, as well as training, it means paying a fair wage, giving you the freedom to define the direction of your career, and offering the option to get involved with charities to support the local and wider community. We have long-term relationships with groups as diverse as St Michael’s Hospice Harrogate, The Yorkshire Aid Convoy and IT Schools Africa among other organisations that our staff are involved with. In addition, we are regularly recognised at industry awards for the work we do. For instance, we will be attending the prestigious UK IT Industry Awards where we are up for the Best Place to Work In IT.

However, whilst we are well aware of the environmental and human risks everyone is facing - and we are making a real difference in addressing those issues - we are certainly having fun doing it!

Alongside regular social events, we offer the option to work from home where appropriate (with tech to do it) and a minimum of 30 days holiday including bank holidays, so it's easy to see why the Techbuyer team are a happy bunch!

We are, at heart, people and planet-centric and we are proud to be made up of dedicated staff who share a future-focused, goal-orientated attitude to the technology sector, one that brings transformational benefit for all.

So, if you’d like to know more about the ‘Techbuyer Way’, we'd be delighted to hear from you. Give us a call or drop us a line to discover how you can be your best – for you, for others and for a better world.