Expert Shares How to Increase the Lifespan of Your Office Equipment and Make Savings
With operating costs continuing to rise, UK businesses are being forced to scrutinise how and where money is lost. While energy bills and wages dominate attention, one often-overlooked expense is the premature replacement of office equipment. From ergonomic chairs and printers to shredders and laminators, poor maintenance and everyday misuse can dramatically shorten equipment lifespan, increase capital expenditure and contribute to avoidable downtime.
UK business investment data shows that machinery and equipment account for around a third of all UK business capital spending, equating to an estimated £70–80 billion per year. Crucially, research suggests that between one-third and one-half of this spending is used simply to replace existing equipment, rather than to support growth or expansion.
“Most office equipment doesn’t fail suddenly, it degrades gradually,” says Steven Hickey, Head of European Marketing at Fellowes UK. “By the time something stops working altogether, businesses have often been paying the cost for months through reduced performance, workarounds, and staff frustration. Simple maintenance checks are one of the most effective ways to slow that decline and avoid unnecessary replacement.”
Here, the experts at Fellowes UK, a specialist in manufacturing office ergonomic equipment, offer their insights.
Ergonomic Chairs: When it Starts to Sink, Act Before Costs Rise
Office chairs are among the most heavily used items in any workplace, yet they are frequently replaced when only one component has failed. Industry estimates suggest that a good-quality ergonomic chair should last between five and ten years, depending on usage and upkeep.
Early signs of wear often include chairs slowly sinking when seated, adjustment levers failing to lock, or cushions losing firmness. While these issues may appear minor, they can affect posture and comfort if left unaddressed.
Replacing worn parts such as gas lift cylinders or castors is typically far cheaper than full chair replacement. Even small improvements in chair maintenance can translate into significant cost savings at scale.
Printers: Jams and Error Messages Are a Warning
Printers remain central to many business operations, yet they are a frequent source of disruption. Managed print providers generally estimate the working life of office printers at around five to seven years, depending on print volumes and maintenance practices.
Warning signs usually appear well before failure. Increasing paper jams, declining print quality, slower output speeds and recurring error messages all indicate internal wear. When left unresolved, these issues often result in sudden breakdowns and emergency replacement.
HMRC research into business investment shows that IT and office equipment replacement typically costs thousands of pounds per business each year. Routine cleaning, timely replacement of worn components and keeping firmware up to date can help delay these costs.
Shredders: Noise and Overheating Are Early Signs
Shredders are often overworked and under-maintained, particularly in busy offices. Industry guidance suggests that light- to medium-duty shredders typically last three to five years, while heavy-duty models can last longer with appropriate care.
Frequent jams, overheating and excessive noise during operation are common indicators of blade wear or internal strain. These issues are frequently linked to insufficient lubrication or shredding materials beyond the machine’s intended capacity. Regular blade oiling and cleaning therefore play a key role in extending shredder lifespan. Buying a machine with 100% Jam Proof technology helps to reduce the strain on the cutting gears and prolongs the life of the machine.
Laminators: Clean Rollers, Longer Life
Laminator machines are often discarded at the first sign of poor performance, yet issues such as wrinkled output, uneven lamination or repeated jams are usually caused by adhesive build-up rather than mechanical failure. While there is limited published data on average laminator lifespan, equipment specialists consistently highlight maintenance as the primary determinant of long-term reliability.
Residue left on rollers can harden over time, leading users to assume the machine is faulty when it simply requires cleaning. With the help of a cleaning sheet you can remove excess glue from the rollers. Its a quick and simple process of feeding it through the laminator.
Regular inspection of rollers, appropriate temperature settings and basic cleaning routines can significantly extend the working life of a laminator.
Given that a substantial proportion of UK equipment spending is directed toward replacement rather than growth, improving care for frequently replaced items, such as laminators, represents a practical opportunity for businesses to reduce avoidable costs.
IT equipment: Slow Doesn’t Always Mean Done
IT hardware is often replaced due to perceived obsolescence rather than outright failure. Industry data suggests laptops typically remain usable for three to five years, while desktop computers often last four to six years or more, depending on workloads and upgrade cycles.
Slower performance, overheating, battery degradation and compatibility issues with newer software are common indicators of ageing hardware. However, these problems can often be mitigated through relatively modest interventions such as battery replacement, improved cooling or storage upgrades.
Surveys show that over 60% of UK businesses invest in IT equipment in a given year, meaning that even small extensions to device lifespan can generate meaningful savings across the economy.
The Cost of Ignoring Early Warning Signs
Across all equipment categories, the pattern is consistent: failures rarely occur without warning. When early signs of wear are ignored, businesses face higher replacement costs, unplanned downtime and unnecessary waste. Asset management research shows that run-to-failure approaches can cost three to five times more than planned maintenance, once lost productivity and emergency repairs are considered.
While individual replacements may seem insignificant, aggregated across UK offices they contribute to significant amounts of avoidable spending each year. Investing in basic maintenance routines, staff awareness and regular equipment checks helps businesses extract full value from their assets rather than replacing them prematurely.
Knowing When to Stop Repairing and Start Replacing
Extending the life of office equipment can be a most cost-effective option, but there is always a point where ongoing maintenance can become too expensive.
This tends to happen when the same issues keep recurring, such as repeated printer faults, chairs that no longer adjust properly, or shredders that jam frequently and struggle to perform consistently. While each issue may seem manageable in isolation, the wider cost can build quickly once lost productivity, employee frustration and repeated callouts are factored in.
There is also the question of whether equipment is still fit for purpose. In some cases, an item may still technically work but no longer support the needs of a modern workplace. Older office chairs can affect comfort and posture, ageing IT can slow down day-to-day tasks, and underperforming machines can create unnecessary friction across teams.
For businesses, the challenge is not simply how long equipment can last, but how long it remains viable to keep it in use. Recognising that tipping point early can help avoid unnecessary downtime and ensure investment is directed where it will have the greatest operational value.
Where businesses are under increasing pressure to control expenses, knowing when to maintain office equipment and when to replace it could make a much bigger difference to long-term costs and productivity than you might realise.
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