PCB Chat 140: Kenny McGee on Component Circularity

Today’s guest intersects two key areas for electronics manufacturers: circularity and inventory management.

"The cost of a component isn't just the cost of a component. It's the cost to the planet."

That's what Kenny McGee, chief executive of Component Sense, says. Component Sense is an Edinburgh, Scotland-based company that leads electronic manufacturers toward zero waste. It takes brand-new, perfectly good excess components and redistributes them to other manufacturers for use. 

We talk about the market for recycled electronics, how major OEMs are circumventing European Union reuse and recycling laws, what companies can do with excess stock, and the horrific conditions at a reclaim dump in Agbogbloshie, Ghana, that inspired him to make a documentary.