WHY BUY?

Welcome to the first of a new monthly feature from Frain Group. “Line by line” will focus on how to buy used packaging and processing machinery. “Buy” will be used generically to include rentals and leases.

In coming months I will take you through the complete process from an initial gleam in someone’s eye to a producing packaging line.  We will look at factors that influence what kind of machinery you buy, how and why.

The “why” is critical. We learn by asking “why?” We avoid mistakes by asking “Why?”. Asking “Why not?” unleashes our inner creativity.

So let’s start with the most basic of questions: Why are you thinking of buying packaging machinery? Possible reasons include:

Need to produce a new product for which equipment is not currently on hand

Need to meet new, more stringent, standards

Need to replace worn out machinery

Need to add permanent production capacity

Need to add temporary production capacity

Need newer technology

Customer requirements

Whatever your reason(s) might be, you must first clearly identify it as it will affect every other step in the process. Just need some temporary capacity? Consider rental. Need to upgrade your technology? Can your workforce handle it? Sometimes you are just tired of looking at that 40 year old capper and want something newer.

Now is the time to think about these reasons. If you can’t write them down in a single sentence, chances are you don’t understand them yourself. Now is the time to take a deep breath and think about them.

Future articles will address how the reasons affect the decision making process

Next month: Speed or capacity? Calculating capacity requirements.

Line by line is written by John R Henry, a Certified Packaging Professional with over 35 years of packaging experience. John is the author of the Handbook of Packaging Machinery, Machinery Matters: John R Henry of Packaging, Machinery, Troubleshooting and Achieving Lean Changeover: Putting SMED to Work

 John is the Changeover Wizard at Changeover.com and may be contacted at johnhenry@changeover.com or 787-550-9650