The dawn of automation: NSYS’s Reeva robots reshape secondary device market

The two companies

In France, Digital4Business, an IT asset cycle management expert supporting businesses since 2003, has been working with Reeva for over a year. The system has helped streamline their testing and grading workflows. Meanwhile, in Japan, NewsedTech saw automation as a necessity to handle large inspection volumes. After receiving its first Reeva robots in June, the company also became an official distributor of NSYS robotics in the region.

SecondaryMarket.news spoke with Corentin Jacquemaire, Repair Director at Digital4Business, and Hamakazu Awazu, CEO, from NewsedTech to learn more about their experiences with the Reeva system. The discussion focused on how the machines integrate into their daily operations and the kinds of efficiencies and savings they are achieving through automation.

SecondaryMarket.news: How has this long-term integration changed the way you operate compared with traditional manual testing, and what measurable financial benefits have you seen in terms of reduced labour costs, increased revenues, or higher buyback conversion rates?

Digital4Business: For more than a year, integrating Reeva robots into the NSYS All-in-One system has reshaped our operations. Lengthy and inconsistent manual testing has been replaced by a fully automated, standardized workflow connected to a unified software platform. This change has eased the manual workload for our technicians, sped up device processing, reduced human errors, and ensured more consistent results. Financially, the impact has been equally significant: costs associated with manual testing have dropped, non-conformities have decreased, and the volume of devices processed has grown. Thanks to these improvements, the investment has quickly proven its value.

NewsedTech: In all honesty we have been using Reeva since a few months. Before manual testing, this process involved cleaning after deleting data and inspection before grading. With Reeva, the major change is adding a cleaning step before using the robot. We estimate productivity will increase approximately eightfold and reduce the number of workers by about 15. We also anticipate positive effects on quality.

SecondaryMarket.news: How have these capabilities improved grading accuracy, testing consistency, and overall customer trust compared with relying solely on manual staff assessments?

Digital4Business: One of Reeva's key strengths combined with NSYS is auto grading, the automated cosmetic scoring system. This feature removes the subjectivity inherent in manual assessments, ensuring consistent evaluations across all repair sites. The robots also perform over 100 functional tests automatically, maintaining a constant level of rigor. Clients can now rely on transparent and reliable reports, which strengthens their confidence in our processes. The combination of automated grading, standardized testing, and full traceability through NSYS truly makes the difference.

 NewsedTech: Human grading tests have numerous problems, such as operator fatigue, careless mistakes, and inconsistent standards among workers. Although still in the adjustment phase, Reeva grades based on clear criteria, ensuring consistency and increasing reliability for customers.

SecondaryMarket.news: Could you walk us through your current Reeva setup? How many robots are in use at your facility, and which parts of the grading or functionality testing process still require manual input from your team?

Digital4Business: We are equipped with two Reeva robots integrated into the NSYS suite. The system operates like a seamless chain, handling device receipt, diagnostics, grading, cataloguing, and traceability. Human involvement remains essential for certain steps, including initial preparation such as cleaning, unboxing, and preliminary checks. Manual intervention is also needed for managing exceptional cases or damaged devices and performing the final visual inspection along with careful validation for sensitive cases. This solution is not a complete replacement but rather a synergy between advanced automation and human expertise.

NewsedTech: We are currently setting up five REEVA units and adjusting the grading conditions.

SecondaryMarket.news: On average, how many devices can you now process per hour, how much has this improved efficiency compared with before, and what percentage increase in productivity have you been able to achieve?

Digital4Business: Before automation, our hourly throughput was subject to the variability of individual operators. Today, thanks to Reeva and NSYS, the workflow is steady and optimized, allowing us to process a much higher number of devices. We have achieved a productivity increase of around 40 to 50%, while maintaining, or even improving, the quality of our outputs. This represents a significant operational lever for driving our growth.

NewsedTech: Currently, the robots are still in the setup phase within the company. Each robot can process approximately 8 devices per hour, and the work time for one human using the robot is about 1 minute. Using multiple robots would allow processing 60 devices per hour. In contrast, manual labour by humans handles 8 devices per hour. Therefore, productivity is approximately 8 times higher.

SecondaryMarket.news: From a financial perspective, how affordable was the investment in Reeva compared with other robotic solutions, how quickly did you achieve payback, and how do you see further automation shaping your future business model and competitive position in the secondary device market?

Digital4Business: The initial investment in Reeva and NSYS is competitive compared with alternative robotic solutions. The break-even point was reached fairly quickly, thanks to productivity gains, reduced errors, and an optimized workflow. Looking ahead, automation is a strategic component of our model. It will enable us to handle increasing volumes without compromising quality and to strengthen our competitive position in the refurbished device market.

NewsedTech: Compared to other companies, we believe Reeva offers over ten times the cost-effectiveness. We are still setting up the robot, but based on our estimates, we expect to recoup our investment within about a year. Further automation will reduce costs even more and stabilize quality, enabling us to provide customers with even higher-quality devices. Customers will choose our company over others.

SecondaryMarket.news: After more than a year of experience for Digital4Business and a few months for NewsedTech, would you recommend Reeva robots to other companies in the sector? In your view, what are the biggest pros and cons of working with the system?

Digital4Business: With over a year of experience, Digital4Business highly recommend Reeva and NSYS to other players in the industry. The main advantages are reliability, consistency, end-to-end traceability, and productivity gains. The key consideration is the initial adaptation phase. Training teams and adjusting workflows can require effort. However, once this stage is completed, the benefits quickly become evident and substantial.

NewsedTech: Yes, I absolutely recommend it. The biggest advantage is the cost of introducing the robot. We haven't felt any particular disadvantages.

SecondaryMarket.news: we want to hear more from NewsedTech about their special relationship with NSYS.

SecondaryMarket.news: What made you decide to become NSYS’s distributor? What sets them apart?

NewsedTech: Japan’s used mobile market continues to grow at around 10% annually, with companies handling increasing volumes. Consequently, automation is now needed not only for inspection but also for grading. Since no similar robot to NSYS exists, we believe this robot is essential for the development of the used mobile market and have become its distributor. Its key differentiators are size, price, and usability. The NSYS robot is significantly smaller than competitors' models. Even grading-specific robots in Japan cost over € 45,000 (8 million yen), while NSYS offers overwhelmingly lower costs. Anyone can start working immediately after being shown how to operate it, without needing training or reading manuals.

SecondaryMarket.news: How is your cooperation with NSYS? In what way are they helping you to win new customers?

NewsedTech: We are currently setting up the robot purchased from NSYS within our company. We will soon enter the phase of acquiring new customers as an NSYS robot distributor. Despite the time difference with Japan, NSYS support is remarkably responsive and always considers our needs when assisting us. As a result, the collaboration between NewsedTech and NSYS is going very smoothly.

SecondaryMarket.news: In your view, what is it necessary to use automated processing and grading in your market?

NewsedTech: I absolutely believe it is necessary. If you process around 100 units per day, manual labour can handle the work without automation. However, with higher volumes, staffing and costs become bottlenecks, preventing us from increasing production.

More on NSYS Group and its technology

Founded in 2017, NSYS Group is a UK-based international IT company developing an integrated ecosystem of software and robotics for the used mobile electronics industry. Its Reeva solution combines diagnostic tools, secure data erasure, AI-driven cosmetic grading, and inventory management, used by companies in more than 70 countries. By replacing inconsistent manual testing with automated precision, NSYS Reeva performs over 100 functionality checks and standardized visual grading. Companies using Reeva report up to eightfold productivity gains and rapid returns on investment, reinforcing automation as the future of the secondary mobile market.