Is the programming up-to-date? Are current safety standards installed? How about the reputation of the seller? Can they guarantee they’ll be around in the future to help you if a problem arises or a new size is needed? Is there a warranty on the machine and for how long? This guide will outline some essential points that will help you make the best purchasing decision and will be useful for any type of machinery: cartoners, case packers, palletizers, labelers, checkweighers, etc.
First, it’s important to understand the difference between OEMs and a typical “used equipment” dealer. In a nutshell it is simply reputation. OEMs are deeply interested in their reputation for two key reasons:
- OEMs need to protect their brand at all costs because they also sell new machinery
- OEMs intend to be in business for a long time and therefore they are committed to supporting their machines in the field, whether they are new or pre-owned.
OEMs know that if a pre-owned machinery buyer has good experience with a brand, they will return to it when they are in a position to purchase again. For example, if a production manager starts at a new company and sees only problems with a particular machine brand (maybe you’ve been in this position) they will not be inclined to favour that brand when considering new machinery regardless of whether the machine was purchased from the OEM or was acquired through a used equipment dealer and is no longer 100% original. Therefore reputable OEMs are keenly interested in ensuring that only good machines of their brands are in the field. These next sections are designed to help you make a value-based decision.
Are you protected from liability?
Properly installed safety features such as guarding, interlocked doors, e-stop buttons, etc do more than protect the operator and visitors from harm. They protect the owner of the machine: you.
Safety regulations are moving in the direction of holding the owner of machinery liable for accidents rather than the machine manufacturer. So once a machine has moved into used-machine status, the safety liability shifts to the new owner. Many used machinery resellers are small shops, eager to move stock as quickly as possible. Many of these resellers are also, because of the nature of their business, not up-to-date on current safety standards. However, OEMs must ensure that every machine that leaves the factory is consistent with the latest regulations and more importantly that all machines (new or pre-owned) are shipped with the same level of protection. Therefore OEMs are in the best position to ensure safety compliance - and are the most educated on the current rules. When considering a pre-owned cartoner, case packer or other packaging machine, it is best to ask detailed questions about safety standards and to assure yourself that the seller is reputable. On balance, OEMs are your best choice and can alleviate the safety burden.
Can the parts on your machine be easily replaced?
A machine in the field is only as efficient as the level of maintenance and service it is given. To do this, it is important to have the correct drawings and parts to properly maintain a machine’s reliability over the many years of service you expect. Buying pre-owned equipment without full access to updated parts lists and drawings could negatively affect your capacity to respond to sudden breakdowns - whether they happen as soon as the machine arrives or two years down the road.
Used equipment resellers often modify their equipment but frequently don’t document their changes. This presents problems to OEMs who find it difficult to support these machines as the manual is no longer accurate (or out of date). There is also a greater risk of buying a part that does not fit. On the contrary, buying a pre-owned machine from the original manufacturer not only ensures that the bill of materials and drawings are up-to-date, but also that the machine will be supported for the years to come. It takes only a few breakdowns due to ill-fitting parts to impact profitability. Sometimes paying extra for an OEM supplied pre-owned machine is easily justified by the reduction in machine downtime.
We recommend that if you do decide to purchase pre-owned machinery from a reseller that you register your machine with the OEM. Then arrange for a visit from them to clarify which parts and assemblies are original (and therefore supported) and which ones are not and should be updated in their system. In this way, should you encounter a problem in the future the OEM can offer support that will get your production line running as quickly as possible. After all, the OEM will have the original engineering plans and knows the machine best.
What is the level of support during installation?
Ask the reseller if they are able to train your staff on the operation the machine, and furthermore how to perform minor repairs. Will the reseller support the installation of the machine or will they simply deliver it and move on to the next customer?
We’ve noticed, all too frequently, that customers will come back to OEMs because of bad installation experiences and poor levels of support. When you buy a machine make sure that you’re confident that the seller will not just promise to address concerns, but actually be able to be by your side during the installation. OEMs have experienced staff who can often fix a problem over the phone or through a quick visit. It is what OEMs do best. Anyone can sell a machine. OEMs have a deep interest in protecting their reputation and will bend backwards to ensure customer satisfaction.
What is the level of support five years from now?
Resellers may – initially – be the least expensive option. However, there is a very good reason for that. They do not have good field service support and most likely many of them won’t survive over time. This is why reputable OEMs offer warranties. Accountable to owners / shareholders and most importantly their reputation, OEMs are driven with purpose to thrive in the market and often offer comprehensive performance guarantees.
I need to change my product.
Markets and customers change and therefore so does packaging. Let’s look at the following example. A customer buys a cartoner designed to pack an eight-count carton. Two years later, or even six-months down the road, this customer now has an opportunity for a ten-count packing profile. Can your machine handle this new project? Probably. But can the reseller guide you in making the appropriate changes? Would you have access to a customer service department especially designed to satisfy this type of request?
It is a certainty that the OEM can support you. It is the business of OEMs to design, manufacture and support machinery, not just resell inventory. When considering pre-owned machinery we suggest you consider the lost time, lost productivity and lost opportunities that may arise because a non-OEM reseller has been unable to help you meet new demand (or perhaps doesn’t even exist anymore).
A real life example
A customer required new product vanes. Approaching their non-OEM reseller they received a set of custom machined vanes instead of the molded vanes that were originally installed on the machine. As a consequence, the machine did not perform well having multiple jams and caused the efficiency of the line to plummet. After experiencing years of considerable losses in production time, the customer decided to approach the OEM who was able to provide new vanes with manufactured with up-to-date technology. Supplied at a competitive price that resulted in less maintenance and breakdown, the better vanes alone are believed to have almost doubled the throughput of previous months. This customer is now running efficiently without complaint. Knowing about the latest technology can be the difference between an efficient production line and one that requires costly baby-sitting.
Conclusion - Simple
When you buy used equipment from an unreliable source, you are buying:
- the safety standards of the past
- a chaos of parts from the past where manuals and parts lists are out-of-date
- delivery
- immediate needs satisfaction
When you buy used equipment from an OEM, you are buying:
- current safety standards
- complete BOM lists
- delivery, support and training
- a warranty
- an ability to respond quickly as the market changes.
The choice is yours to make. |
