Whether it’s the best Wolf machine Germany has to offer, or a generic chocolate enrobing machine, you have many options when it comes to buying equipment for your food processing line. It’s often the perception that buying used is a great idea because of the money savings. But while you do save money on day one, is that really the full story in the long term?
Here are five disadvantages of used equipment that you should consider before buying:
1. Why Is It For Sale?
A used chocolate cooling tunnel may be an attractive price – but why is it being sold? If it was still usable, reliable, and practical, why would a company go to the effort of removing it from their system and offering it for sale? Used equipment isn’t always unreliable, but it’s something you should think twice about.
2. Buying Someone Else’s Problems
In some cases, a piece of equipment may be being sold because it’s simply impractical or uneconomical to keep trying to get to the bottom of the faults it has developed. Similarly, the product may be nearing the end of its useful reliable life and the owner wants to be rid of it before it throws up a steep bill. Either way, you could be buying yourself into these problems.
3. The Potential For Obsolescence
Technology is moving quickly, even on a humble piece of equipment like the chocolate cooling tunnel. This means an older piece of equipment may not have the functionality and connectivity required from a modern business user.
4. Health & Safety Compliance
Older machines risk being non-compliant with always-developing health and safety legislation. A compliance breach is potentially costly in many ways; including potential downtime, upgrading costs, and damage to brand perception.
5. Lack Of Ongoing Manufacturer Support
The machine you’re buying may not be supported still by the original manufacturer. This means that in the event of a breakdown or malfunction, you’re going to find it difficult to get the support required to get the machine back online. Also consider that the machine may require parts that are no longer in production, which might necessitate investing in a new machine after all.
Making An Informed Choice
The above reasons don’t mean buying used equipment is always a bad idea. It is important, however, that you weigh up the pros and cons of every prospective purchase, to make sure the money you’re saving over buying new is worth the risk of other problems developing. After all, you may spend less initially, but easily end up forking out far more money in the long run than you would have done if you’d spent more at the start.
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Image Source: Wolf Machines
