When Should You Remanufacture or Refurbish Equipment?

When Should You Re-Manufacture or Refurbish Equipment? Re-manufactured hardware is usually preferable because it is closer to fresh. That isn’t to say that refurbished hardware isn’t useful; it just means you should be aware of the changes.
In the building, manufacturing, and development industries, there are numerous approaches to reduce costs or increase financial efficiency. Using or deploying tools and hardware that your firm does not own is one method that is frequently neglected.

It wasn’t always the case, but today’s businesses have a variety of options other than purchasing brand-new equipment and hardware. You can lease or rent equipment, allowing you to select and deploy hardware on a project-by-project basis. You can also purchase equipment that has been used, remanufactured, or reconditioned.

Of course, there is another option. You could improve your existing equipment rather of replacing or discarding it to meet current standards and efficiency expectations. You’ve probably heard of reconditioned and remanufactured goods before, right?

This may appear crucial to some because machine tools and hardware are important and expensive components of your organization. Tools, hardware, and machinery might be valuable assets that you don’t want to lose. Increasing or boosting their viability is a tempting scenario.

Re-manufacture vs. Re-furbish

Before we continue, it’s important to note that there is a distinction between remanufactured and refurbished products. Refurbished refers to an object that has been returned to the manufacturer or vendor for an unexplained cause, and the manufacturer has repaired it, tested it for problems, and resold it.

Re-manufacturing is similar to re-manufacturing, except it entails replacing aged or obsolete components and/or modules. The product as a whole is subjected to a more thorough testing and validation process, and it may even be improved in order to comply with new specifications or regulations.

Hydraulic re-manufacturing is a good example because it requires complicated components or machinery that must all operate at peak efficiency. When you need to be certain that the systems are in perfect operating order, you should choose remanufactured over refurbished.

Re-manufactured hardware is usually preferable because it is closer to fresh. That isn’t to say that refurbished hardware isn’t useful; it just means you should be aware of the changes.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s look into the possibility of upgrading your old hardware or equipment.

When should you re-manufacture or re-furbish something?

Refurbishment and re-manufacturing can save a lot of money if done at the appropriate time, by the right people, with the correct equipment. Knowing when the right time is is the most critical part of taking advantage of this. You lose valuable operating hours and money if you do it too quickly. If you wait too long, you’ll be without the necessary equipment and hardware while it’s being repaired, and you may even have to pay more for a faster turnaround.

When evaluating whether or not it’s time to upgrade your equipment, there are three factors to consider:

In this case, the equipment or gear in question is

• Your fleet’s size, including backup hardware
• Your machine’s age and condition (s)
• Why Does Hardware Make a Difference?

Compact machinery, such as backhoe loaders, augers, and trenchers, have a high resale value. It’s virtually absurd to consider reconditioned used equipment in this situation. You may easily discover someone who wants to buy your old stuff and someone who wants to sell theirs. You may also buy a new one at a reasonable price on the current market. Compact machinery, as a result, is not an ideal option for refurbishment or remanufacturing.

Mid-sized or larger equipment, on the other hand, most certainly is. Axle haulers, wheel loaders, excavators, and larger machinery or furnaces are some examples. The cost of a machine’s internals or components may be more than the cost of purchasing new equipment outright. Furthermore, after replacing a few parts or systems, you can still get a fair amount of life out of the larger equipment.

What about the size of the fleet?

You’ll need a suitable substitute in the meanwhile, as retrofitting might take anywhere from 60 to 180 days, depending on the machinery and components that need to be replaced. If you’re a minor participant in the market with only a few machines and little to no backup, refurbishment may be out of the question due to the time commitment. But don’t rule it out completely. Make every effort to cope while your equipment is being repaired, because the cost savings are well worth it.

As a result, it’s easy to see why fleet size and backup hardware are significant considerations in the remanufactured and refurbished systems process. You’ll be without equipment for a some time if you don’t have any.

What Role Does Age Play in This?

In certain cases, the industry or technology in question has advanced significantly since you purchased and used your current hardware. When equipment dies or malfunctions in this case, it is beneficial to totally refresh the hardware. This is true in terms of rules and emissions, as well as new features, automation, and a variety of other topics. Just keep in mind that the entire replacement timeline should include both maintenance downtime and personnel training.

If you don’t have the funds to update, refurbishing or remanufacturing your equipment is a good option, but there are situations when there’s no reason not to.

Furthermore, the hardware’s age and health are important considerations. Wheel loaders, for example, have a long service life of up to 12,000 hours. They tend to have more failures and malfunctions between the ages of 12,000 and 15,000 hours, putting them in the “golden age” of refurbishment.

So, at roughly 12,000 hours, the machine should be inspected and assessed as usual procedure. If the gear turns out to be in good working order, you can extend the operational hours even further, as loaders are known to be reliable after up to 15,000 hours of use. It would be a significant waste to retrofit that wheel loader after around 10,000 hours of service, for example.

Retrofitting Hardware Can Save You Money

Yes, refurbished or remanufactured hardware can save you a lot of money in the long run, but it all relies on the machine or systems in issue. If they still have a lot of life remaining in them, you’ll be losing operational hours, expenditures, and much more if you refit them too soon.

When sending your equipment and gear off for service, make sure you have the right fleet backups on hand. It’s not an immediate procedure, and repairs and upkeep take time, so you’ll need a backup plan in the meanwhile. Otherwise, you risk shutting down your facility or locations until you regain control of your hardware.

However, if you follow the guidelines outlined above, you should be successful.

Where to Sell Construction Equipment?

Are you considering how to sell your used machinery? Equipment Planet takes pride in offering the most competitive pricing to our customers. We will buy single units or entire fleets in almost any condition, whether they are running or not. We are a group of professionals who make things happen to help professionals maximize their potential. Visit sellyourconstructionequipment.com or call 214-773-0207 to get in touch with us.

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