If you want your manufacturing plant or other industrial operation to succeed in this increasingly competitive, economically challenging environment, you’ll need the latest and greatest in technology to do it.
Today’s industrial equipment is highly technologically advanced, embodying hundreds of years of technological progress and allowing manufacturers to do more than they ever thought possible.
However, technologically advanced industrial equipment tends to be expensive, somewhat challenging to procure, and confusing if you’re not a technical expert. If you make the wrong decision, not only could it hinder your business’s productivity and potential growth, but it could also cost you a lot of money and effort in the meantime.
What are the best strategies for choosing the most appropriate technologically advanced industrial equipment for your needs?
Tips for Choosing Technologically Advanced Industrial Equipment
These are some of the best tips and strategies for choosing technologically advanced industrial equipment:
1. Identify the problem you want to solve.
Before you can even begin the search process, you need to identify the problem you want to solve. Depending on the instance in question, this could be a hyper-local issue or something much more broad. For example, if you need equipment to facilitate quick drying, an industrial dryer may be the obvious choice. But what if you’re looking for a piece of equipment that can facilitate faster transportation of items across your facility? There are lots of options that can help you solve this problem, and they all have different advantages and disadvantages. Thoroughly documenting the problem before you attempt to solve it with a piece of equipment provides you with a kind of objective barometer with which you can measure the applicability of various options. Will this piece of equipment solve the problem? If so, will it create any new problems? Are you sure it can solve this problem better than any other piece of equipment?
2. Peruse available options.
Manufacturers and industrial magnates sometimes limit themselves by going with the first, most obviously available option. But you’ll be much more likely to find a good fit for your organization’s needs if you peruse all available options. Chances are, there are multiple pieces of equipment or machinery that could hypothetically address your needs, and within that category, there are probably dozens or hundreds of partners with slightly different approaches to how they make these assets. Broadening your range of options gives you more possibilities, but also educates you about the finer details of each.
3. Compare apples to apples.
Sometimes, it’s tough to compare different types of industrial equipment, especially if they serve different purposes or are used in slightly different ways. As much as possible, compare apples to apples. Focus on key metrics like productivity, energy use, and occupied space to help narrow down your list of options.
4. Consider tradeoffs.
Industrial equipment and processes always come with tradeoffs. A piece of equipment may be much faster and therefore more productive, but does it also use more energy? A different piece of equipment may be extremely compact and energy efficient, but will it slow things down? Consider your organizational priorities when evaluating these potential tradeoffs.
5. Review maintenance and upkeep costs.
Obviously, you’ll need to think about the price of each piece of equipment. If one piece of equipment is cheaper than another, and its utility appears to be the same, it should be the obvious choice, right? The answer is a mere “potentially,” because you’ll also need to consider long-term costs. Will one piece of equipment have higher maintenance and upkeep costs? Will it cost more due to demand for energy or parts?
6. Think for the future.
Along similar lines, it’s important for you to make a decision that sets your business up for success well into the future. If your manufacturing facility is in a pinch, there’s nothing wrong with making a decision that facilitates a speedy resolution, but for the most part, it’s better to plan years, if not decades, ahead.
7. Consider leasing vs. buying.
Buying and leasing are both acceptable ways to procure manufacturing equipment. Buying is more expensive upfront, but gives you more autonomy. Consider both options and see which one works better for your business at this time.
8. Prepare to negotiate.
Finally, don’t be afraid to negotiate. Directly negotiating with suppliers could help you secure a much better deal.
Upgrading Your Manufacturing Facility
Perhaps you’re interested in starting a new business. Perhaps you already have a marketing operation and want to upgrade the equipment within it. Either way, the same principles are going to apply. If you’re thoughtful and methodical about your acquisitions, you should have no trouble designing and building out a plan that serves your needs.