Repair: An Overlooked Business Strategy

By members of the Danish Alliance for Circular Industrial Design:

Therese Balslev, Strategic Designer, Danish Design Center Linda Nhu Laursen, Research Director, Aalborg University Design Lab Birthe Tofting, Sales and Marketing Director, VOLA A/S

Danish companies do not compete on price, but on quality and longevity. Repair should therefore not be seen as a burden. Companies that design products for long life and ease of servicing strengthen customer relationships and establish a market position that is difficult to replicate.

Every year, Danish companies and consumers discard hundreds of thousands of products simply because a single component has broken – and buying a replacement is often both cheaper and easier than repairing the original. This is not only an enormous waste of resources; it is also bad business. Although selling new products is typically the most straightforward source of revenue, companies that design products for longevity and repair stand to gain considerable value. Particularly if they intend to remain in business ten years from now.

In Denmark, we are seeing a growing grassroots movement, with more than 130 Repair Cafés where consumers come together to repair everything from household appliances and mobile phones to furniture and clothing. The movement is also gaining momentum across Europe. International Repair Day is marked on 17 October, drawing attention to repair throughout Europe. At the same time, the EU's Right to Repair Directive entered into force at the end of July, with the aim of making access to spare parts, repair manuals and improved repairability a legal requirement for doing business in Europe.

Yet while consumers are increasingly willing to repair their products, and legislation is gradually establishing the framework for more circular production, the reality is that far too few Danish companies design products that can actually be repaired.

Customer loyalty, market insight and premium positioning

From a business perspective, repair is more than a technical discipline. It can create competitive advantages through three mechanisms: customer loyalty, product insight and differentiation based on quality rather than price.

Companies that help customers extend the lifespan of their products build trust and long-term relationships. Research suggests that people often develop stronger emotional attachments to products they have maintained and repaired. Repair can therefore strengthen customers' connections to both the product and the brand. In many industries, contact with the customer ends the moment a product is sold. Every repair, however, creates an opportunity for another point of contact between the company and the customer. Repair transforms the relationship from a single transaction into an ongoing collaboration throughout the product's lifespan. This can translate into customer loyalty.

At the same time, repair provides access to a unique source of insight into products and how they are used. When products undergo servicing and repair, companies gain direct knowledge of faults, patterns of wear and user behaviour. This knowledge can be used to improve products, identify weak components and develop more robust solutions. Repair is therefore not merely a service function, but also a source of innovation.

Companies often regard repair as an expense. In reality, however, it is one of the activities that support premium positioning. Research from Aalborg University Design Lab highlights the example of Porsche, which has spent decades systematically investing in spare parts, restoration and repair. By actively keeping cars on the road long after their original sale, Porsche does more than maintain existing customer relationships. The company also reinforces the narrative of quality, craftsmanship and long-term value that lies at the heart of its brand.

Repair begins at the design stage

Making existing products repairable retrospectively can be both technically and financially demanding. This is precisely why the design stage is so important. If repair is to be a genuine option, new products must be developed with repair in mind from the outset.

Another example from the research can be found at VOLA in Horsens, where durability and repairability have been central to the company's competitive strength since Arne Jacobsen designed the first taps in 1968. At VOLA, product ranges are developed as modular systems, allowing a damaged component to be easily replaced or a tap to be upgraded with a new colour or function.

For a tap to last for several decades, its design, production processes and business model must all support the possibility of repair. This commitment to longevity and repairability means that the company supplies spare parts for every tap it has produced – including those that are almost 60 years old – and trains installers in repair techniques at an academy next to its factory.

The first steps towards a circular business

Regulations and directives can set the direction, but meaningful change will only happen when companies recognise repair as a natural part of the value their products offer consumers.

For most companies, this does not mean transforming their entire business model overnight. It does, however, require new products to be developed with repair in mind, and companies to make repair possible in practice. This means providing access to spare parts, upgrades, repair instructions and technical data – either directly to consumers or to the professionals carrying out the repairs.

Repair is not simply about extending a product's lifespan. It is about creating better products, stronger customer relationships and a competitive advantage built on quality rather than price. This is precisely the kind of competition Danish companies should be pursuing.