By Zoe Tillman
As Benchmark marks its 40th anniversary, we’re taking time to highlight the people who have shaped our journey.
Today, we sat down with Tim Stobbe, senior vice president of Technical Services, who has been with Benchmark almost since the very beginning. He joined the company on Monday, December 1, 1986. Since then, Tim has witnessed and guided Benchmark’s evolution from a small refurbishing shop to a trusted technology services partner for banks and credit unions nationwide.
With decades of experience and a front-row seat to the industry’s transformation, Tim’s perspective offers rare insight into what continues to drive Benchmark forward.
Benchmark was founded in 1985. When did it begin offering repair services, and what led to that expansion?
Stobbe: Benchmark started out as a refurbishing shop that also handled some repairs. At the time, banking technology was built on proprietary equipment and dedicated systems from Bunker Ramo, IBM and ISC that were very different from today’s PCs or laptops. These were large controller boxes with modular units at each teller station. We quickly carved out niche services for them. As the company grew, we expanded our capabilities. By around 1990, we formally introduced repair services, allowing customers to send equipment in for service and receive it back in working order. That expansion was a key milestone in our growth and evolution.
How have Benchmark’s repair and refurbishing businesses evolved since around 1990 to today?
Stobbe: Today, it’s a little bit harder to get people to send equipment in. Equipment has become more disposable.
Back in the ’90s, the equipment was actually made with metal, and they were expensive. So, people valued them a little bit more, and they wanted to get them repaired. So, they would send the products back, because if they had to buy a replacement for it, it would be way too expensive for them.
Today, because everything has evolved and plastics have become part of the manufacturing process and equipment is relatively less expensive, customers are less likely to send in their equipment for repair.
If something breaks, they weigh the fee of getting it repaired versus buying a replacement to get another one-year warranty on that new device.
We encourage our customers to get the repair. We offer a six-month warranty on all repairs and simplify the logistics of sending in the equipment. We do our best to make it worth it. Plus, repairing the equipment increases the return on investment.
We also actively buy back used equipment. If a branch or bank has devices that are no longer in use or not functioning, Benchmark will make a fair market offer to buy the devices. This allows us to remanufacture the devices and keep the equipment out of the landfills.
Have recent tariffs encouraged more banks to repair equipment rather than buying new? Do you see institutions extending device life through repairs?
Stobbe: We have not seen a significant influx of repairs because of tariffs, but it’s still early. If banks start thinking, “Hey, let’s just go ahead and get our equipment repaired until these tariffs lighten up,” our technicians are ready to handle the job. A lot of banks may look to remanufactured equipment because of the tariffs. Remanufactured devices are also a good option during a merger or acquisition when equipment upgrades may be needed.
For example, if a larger bank buys a smaller bank, they might de-install all the smaller bank’s equipment and replace it with their spares or refurbished units from Benchmark. Because we have a large assortment of refurbished equipment, we can offer the bank the replacement equipment at a much better price with the same type of manufacturer warranty too.
Benchmark is known for remanufactured products with a very low failure rate: approximately 0.01%, well below the industry average. What processes ensure repaired devices meet those quality standards?
Stobbe: It starts with our people. We have several technicians who are skilled in various types of mechanical and electronic fields. We also have a turnkey training program where all the
technicians on the tech bench gain extensive knowledge of the different products we specialize in.
We also have excellent processes. Equipment that comes into our facility to get refurbed, gets torn down, cleaned inside and outside. Any known common failures of those particular items get replaced immediately, because we know from experience that once we put them back out in the field, a component such as a ribbon cable may go bad in 60 to 70 days of wear. So, we routinely replace these types of problematic parts with new brand-new parts. We have extreme confidence in our people and processes – so much so that we offer a one-year warranty. We do a comprehensive job because we want our equipment to stay in the field as long as possible. That is part of our brand promise.
Do you provide preventive maintenance separate from refurbishment? How do banks balance scheduled maintenance versus risk of breakdowns?
Stobbe: We have not run into that request very much. Our guidance to customers to prevent the need for repairs is to put together a scheduled cleaning process for the device. Perhaps once a week at the beginning of the week they clean the scanners, run a cleaning card through them, and blow in some compressed air into them and clean the cameras off. This practice is the best preventative maintenance that will extend the life of the scanners.
How do technical support and repair dispatch teams coordinate when a bank reports a device issue? How do you determine phone support versus onsite service or replacement?
Stobbe: When our device support staff take calls from the branches, they attempt to fix the problem over the phone following our operating procedures. If we are not able to resolve the issue over the phone, then we arrange for the customer to send the device to us. This is part of our typical warranty programs. We make our best effort to get it fixed so it stays in the branch, so they’re not down and waiting on that replacement unit to arrive in the next day.
You’ve had an amazing career. What advice do you have for someone who’s just starting out?
Stobbe: Get as much experience as you can working for a variety of repair shops. Stay focused on learning and choose to work for a place like Benchmark that will support you as you get your certifications.
About the Author
Zoe Tillman served as a summer intern at Benchmark, working on projects for the accounting, marketing and sales teams. Zoe is a student at Kennesaw State University majoring in finance.