Author: Ron Crews

It doesn’t matter if you’re investing in new or used packaging machines—without the ongoing packaging equipment services to back them up, you can encounter unexpected problems down the line. When you work with a company that offers all-encompassing services throughout the life of your machine, you can enjoy the peace of mind that any time you need technical support or training, it’s available for you and your floor personnel.

Troubleshooting and Maintenance

You should never underestimate the value of regular maintenance in extending the life and efficiency of your packaging machines. Used and new machines alike need to undergo not only repairs, but also preventative maintenance that reduces the risk of future issues developing. When you incorporate a comprehensive preventative maintenance plan as part of your packaging equipment services, you reduce the impact of gradual wear and tear and also the risk of industrial accidents and fires. Whether or not you opt to treat your machines with this type of maintenance, you may find yourself needing troubleshooting advice in the future—even brand new machines can break down unexpectedly. Should that happen, you must be prepared to deal with the consequences, and know who you should call for troubleshooting help.

Set-Up and Start-Up

Installation services are another type of packaging equipment service that you may find useful when integrating new machinery on your warehouse floor. The last thing you want to be left with on day one is a new or used packaging machine that you can’t get started, or can’t efficiently incorporate with the rest of your equipment. That’s why it’s important when you purchase machinery that you identify whether or not the retailer provides any type of installation and/or start-up services to help you get the machinery onto the floor and working properly.

Other Ongoing Services

Depending on where you order your equipment from, you may be eligible to participate in other packaging equipment services that extend the life of your machinery. For example, in-depth personnel training, performance improvement measures and more can all help you and your staff use your machines more efficiently, more safely and ultimately, more productively.

Whether you’re using new or used packaging machines, the proper training is of vital importance. When somebody operates machinery of any kind that they aren’t trained to use, it can lead to workplace accidents, diminished productivity and even broken equipment. Investing in machinery for the floor personnel isn’t enough to improve your bottom line—you need to invest in training the people that will be using that machinery, too.

Improving Your Productivity with Packaging Equipment Training

If you or your floor personnel are having difficulty adjusting to your new or used packaging machines, investing in packaging equipment training can help. Even if you have used comparable machines, it could take time for you to learn the ins and outs of your new equipment—why waste time and money figuring it out for yourself? Training is a tool every bit as valuable as your equipment, and by undergoing training, you make yourself more valuable, too. Investing in thorough machinery training for your staff members can also increase their sense of importance in the company’s operations, showing them the importance of the roles they play.

Protecting Your Investment

Your machines represent a major investment. Whether you’re using brand new, refurbished or sold-as-is used packaging machines, you can easily damage them with improper use. This doesn’t always mean a single, dramatic accident, either—improper use over time can gradually wear a machine down into a state of disrepair. When you undergo packaging equipment training, you don’t just learn what to do—you learn what not to do, and what the warning signs are in case you make any missteps along the way.

Reducing Waste and Accidents

An improperly-used machine is as big a liability as a malfunctioning one, so never assume that someone is using the equipment properly unless they’ve been instructed how. When the equipment isn’t being used properly, you can easily waste product, and it may even put your floor personnel at risk. Heavy machinery and packaging equipment should never be used by an untrained individual, so if you aren’t confident in your ability to use everything properly, investing in training protects your employees’ safety.

When you purchase used packaging machinery, you have to consider a number of factors that will help you determine how efficient and long-lasting it ends up being. Some of these are factors that you would have to consider even if the machinery were brand new, while some of them are exclusive to used equipment. You will find that much of the value of your equipment isn’t built-in, but rather, relies on the packaging equipment company from which you purchased it.

Built-In and External Value

Some of the value of your used packaging machinery is intrinsic—most notably, the condition that it’s in. Depending on the equipment and the used machinery dealer from which you purchase it, you may choose to invest in either an as-is piece of machinery or a refurbished model. When you choose a refurbished piece of equipment, you must be sure that it has been thoroughly repaired and is fit for use—a company that is not thorough when refurbishing may be hesitant to offer services like repairs, troubleshooting or installation help. You put a lot of stock in your machinery, and you should be able to trust the packaging equipment company from which you buy it.

A Packaging Equipment Company’s Value

The value of your used packaging machinery isn’t all in the machinery itself—equally as important is the machinery dealer from which you purchase the machinery. In addition to ongoing services that extend the life and efficiency of the equipment, like troubleshooting, preventative maintenance, repairs and personnel training, the company’s other specialties may be useful, as well.

For example, choosing to work with a company that also provides packaging materials can become an invaluable time-saver in the event of a problem on the manufacturing line. Ordering your film and bags from your packaging equipment company means that when you have problems on the line, you’re able to get technical support and maintenance from the same place, no matter what the origin of the problem is. This saves you the time and energy of figuring out the origin of the malfunction and struggling to contact the party responsible—instead, you can get all of your technical support from one trusted source.

It doesn’t matter how old or new your packaging equipment is—you can always improve its performance, and your own. If your packaging equipment company offers packaging performance improvement consultations, all the better to analyze and improve every aspect of your manufacturing, like efficiency and safety. If you don’t invest in performance improvement, you’ll pay for it anyway in the form of lost efficiency and future mechanical issues.

Initial Quality

If you don’t invest in quality product from the packaging equipment company, you’re setting yourself up for problems later on. Don’t, however, confuse “quality” and “new.” Just as brand new equipment can still perform with lackluster results, properly refurbished used equipment can function smoothly and efficiently. If you’re going to invest in used equipment, make sure that it has been thoroughly refurbished by an expert packaging equipment company—a machine that is only half-refurbished works only half as well as it could, if even.

Packaging Equipment Training

Your employees play a major role in the efficiency of your machinery—they are at least as valuable as the machinery itself, if not more so. Of course, that also means that without the proper training, your employees can diminish the value of your equipment. Serious improvements to your packaging performance requires thorough personnel training, so that everyone can use your equipment safely and efficiently.

Even if you start out strong with your machinery, you should always take advantage of an opportunity to improve—your packaging equipment company may be able to analyze your employees’ performance and see how they could improve in their use of the machinery.

Ongoing Maintenance

Whether or not your packaging equipment company offers it, you need regular maintenance as part of your packaging performance improvement regimen. Maintaining your equipment carefully and regularly is crucial if you want to keep up your operation’s efficiency, and on occasion, this may also mean ordering spare parts. You may find it useful to order packaging equipment from a company that also deals in spare parts, so that you know you can access what you need when you need it later on. If a packaging equipment company sells refurbished machines and spare parts, and also provides maintenance services and training, you have virtually everything you need to maximize your packaging performance.