Cost often drives the decision to purchase rebuilt or refurbished manufacturing equipment. But that’s not the case when it comes to refurbished parts finishing and parts washing machines. In most instances, time is the deciding factor.
Practically all shops experience situations where a job needs to be done immediately. But their current equipment utilization is maxed out or equipment is down for repair. This is when they often choose to increase capacity with additional equipment. And in these situations, refurbished machines may prove to be the best solution.
When Time is of the Essence
At ALMCO, our parts finishing and washing equipment is built to order to ensure customers get the best solution for their particular applications. New machine turnaround time can take a bit longer. But with our refurbished equipment, we help customers dealing with critical time crunches get a quick, efficient solution to keep production up and running.
Our in-stock machines are completely refurbished to new machine standards and performance levels. And we can have them on a customer’s shop floor within a month as opposed to three months or more for a brand-new machine.
How We Make Old New Again
When we refurbish part finishing and washing systems, we replace nearly all of the wear components. We repaint the machine, upgrade the electrical controls and replace any covers, lids, curtains, etc. that are not wear items, but were damaged – basically, re-creating a brand-new piece of equipment.
For parts washers, we replace heating elements and damaged electrical controls. We also make sure all the other components of the machine are still working properly. If needed, we’ll replace the pumps as well. Because washer tanks are constructed from heavy gauge stainless steel, they require only bead blasting treatment for cleaning and revitalization.
Emergency Situations
There are a lot of variables/scenarios that drive customers to choose between new equipment or refurbished. For example, an automotive company may have build specifications that are required for new machine purchases. However, if they are down and need a machine immediately, they will often buy a refurbished machine that was not built to their specifications to get the line back in operation.
Another emergency situation is when a customer has a sudden, temporary increase in production requirement from their customer. They don’t want to spend the money to buy new equipment since the need is temporary. A refurbished machine will fill the need sooner and at a lower price.
In another time-crunch scenario, a shop had a 36″ turntable cabinet washer that was lost in a facility fire, and they turned to ALMCO for a replacement. Unfortunately, in that instance, we didn’t have a refurbished turntable washer of the same size. We did, however, have a larger unit, and the customer was willing to make space for the larger washer to quickly get production going. At the same time, they spent less than they would have for a new washer of the smaller size.
Sources for Refurbishment Candidates
We acquire our machines for refurbishment in one of two ways. The first is through our research and applications lab. At ALMCO, we are constantly building machines for our in-house lab. And when we retire that equipment or exchange it for new, we will refurbish those older machines and make them available to customers.
The second way we get machines to refurbish is from existing customers who have purchased new ALMCO equipment and sell or give us their old systems. If the old equipment is a good candidate for refurbishment, we will evaluate it and make an offer.
The available equipment for our refurbish program depends on which machines get replaced in our process development lab or at one of our customers. Therefore, available models vary over time. We focus on our most popular models, but do not always have refurbished versions of those in stock.
If you’re looking for a parts finishing or parts washing machine while in a pinch for a quick solution, ALMCO has gently used demonstration units, tradeshow equipment, and refurbished equipment readily available.
Or, if you have any parts finishing or washing equipment you’re no longer using, don’t hesitate to contact ALMCO. We’d be happy to discuss purchasing it for our refurbishment stock.
Click on the link for more info – https://almco.com/surface-finishing-machines/refurbished-equipment/