Manufacturing businesses will have to consider purchasing industrial equipment at some point. As a business owner, it’s important to make sure you get it right when making your purchase.

Buying industrial equipment is an investment. That’s why you need to evaluate the equipment you’re looking to purchase and ensure it will meet your needs and provide a return on investment.

HGR suggests that you try asking the following questions to make a smart purchase that will benefit your facility for years to come.

Essential questions to ask about your industrial equipment

Are you certified?

Certification of the manufacturer’s products is a great way to ensure that the manufacturer adhered to the set standards.

Some of the most popular certifications and locally acceptable standards include:

ISO certification
IEEE standards
OSHA equipment safety standards
UL wiring and control standards
European Union, Canadian, and other international standards

Can you build my spec?

Having a detailed spec sheet is the number one step to ordering equipment that meets your standards and fits seamlessly into your facility, in addition to finding the right manufacturer. Before making an order it’s important to ensure that the manufacturer can meet all your requirements such as production volume, electrical needs, materials, and process requirements so as to end up with a system that fits perfectly into your facility.

If you provide your manufacturer with a more specific spec sheet requirement, your product will be more accurate to your needs.

Some information to include in your spec sheet are:

Safety requirements
Electrical ratings
Production amount
Build material requirements (such as stainless steel or polyethylene)
Upstream and downstream system operations
Sanitation requirements

Who else uses a similar system?

References are important in determining whether the system you are ordering will perform as you expect it to. As you check out the manufacturer’s references, ensure that the equipment and process are similar to what you are looking for.

Here are some questions that you should ask your reference:

When did you purchase your equipment?
What problems have you encountered with the equipment?
Does the manufacturer provide any maintenance or assistance?
What is the manufacturer’s delivery time?
What equipment and process do you have?
After making the purchase, is it easy to get in touch with the manufacturer?

Is this quote final?

A lower quote is always very tempting, but low offers may contain hidden or extra costs later on, skyrocketing the final cost of your entire project. When comparing quotes from different manufacturers always ensure that the requirements and specs are all the same.

Here are some important questions that you should ask in regards to the quote:

Are testing, delivery, and maintenance included in the quote?
What might cause the quotation to change?

What components do you use?

If you prefer certain brands of components, ask in advance whether the manufacturer can use your preferred components. Using less popular components can make later maintenance and upgrades quite expensive while trusted brands can make it affordable as the components are widely available.

How well does the system age?

As new technologies become available and new regulations are set up, durability is not a concern anymore when it comes to system aging. The real puzzle is whether the system can adapt to the new technology, new regulations, and ingredient changes. Some manufacturers and industrial auctions offer a satisfaction-guaranteed return policy, such as HGR Industrial Surplus.

The question that you should ask your manufacturer is whether the system can adapt to:

Stricter sanitation regulations
New software integration
IoT integration
Stricter safety requirements
More precise measurements

Does the equipment come with a purchase order?

A purchase order is crucial as it provides specifications to ensure that the equipment does its intended job, plus it defines all the special installations you need such as floor support, power supply, and any other associated costs.

Sourcing new equipment from a manufacturer to build or upgrade your current system can be a risky venture especially when you do not know the right questions to ask your manufacturer. Asking your manufacturer these questions will ensure that you get the right equipment for your system.

Additional helpful questions to ask about industrial equipment

Here are questions that you should ask yourself before making a significant investment in new equipment.

Does the equipment meet a need that you can identify?
Is this new equipment the best way to meet this need?
- Always check out the alternatives you have and whether they are more economical or favorable.
What would happen if you waited and got the equipment at a later date?
Do your employees have the skills to operate this new equipment? If not, can you provide training for them?
Has a cost-benefit analysis been done to justify the purchase of this equipment?

Buy and sell used industrial equipment with HGR

HGR has over 20 years of experience serving local and international customers looking to buy industrial tools, robots, parts, and equipment. Our 500,000 square foot facility in Euclid, Ohio carries thousands of items with truckloads of equipment coming in every day.

Plus, we purchase used surplus from warehouses across the United States so our vendors can clear out their facilities while recouping part of their initial investment.

Find a wide range of industrial equipment in different categories, including: