Investing in high-quality products and machinery may seem like an expense, but it can result in long-term savings with the longevity the products provide.
Here, we look at how investment can pay off – and the benefits businesses can reap from the longevity of machinery.
Downtime reduction
Naturally, an inferior piece of machinery is more susceptible to faults and breakdowns as it experiences the wear and tear of day-to-day work. Higher quality machinery and components however, are designed with reliability and longevity in mind.
Whichever industry you are in, machine reliability is one of the main ways to avoiding enforced, unplanned downtime and a subsequent drop in productivity.
David Marshall, Integra Marketing Manager at Welding Alloys, specialists in hardfacing and cladding applications, said: “Reliability in manufacturing is key, as unplanned downtime can be very costly for your business. Investing in high quality products and components, from reputable companies, not only guard against breakdowns and failures, but they also make operating machinery safer for your staff.
“Some products, at the time of repair or restoration, can make the machine stronger and more reliable even than it was at the time of leaving the factory – investing in this can pay off in the long term.
Improved quality saves time
A huge factor for having quality machinery is the amount of time it can save and the increased efficiency of production. Taking the agricultural industry as an example, the benefits of making the initial investment are clear.
The machinery will perform to a higher standard than lesser quality machinery, and this enables you to save money in the long term, as well as operate a more productive, and profitable, business. In terms of crop yields, better machinery will allow higher yields, increasing productivity and also reducing production costs as less time is being spent on the task.
The distribution of staff can then happen if time is saved during production, and employees can be utilised in other areas of the business to not only further cut costs, but to allow for an efficient operation to take place.
Agriculture often has narrow windows in which tasks can be carried out, and any downtime in these windows can be extremely damaging to the business.
David also added: “The high costs of downtime mean that good quality products are a must, to reduce the risk of failures and breakdowns as much as humanly possible. Finding reputable suppliers and partners who have specialists to fit components to improve resistance to abrasion, impact, and corrosion of products, could be the difference between a successful production cycle and a failure.”
Improved safety and employee wellbeing
The improved welfare of employees can be something that has a positive financial effect on the business, due to – in part – having tools that enable them to do their job effectively.
Investing in good, reliable products can have a positive effect on the health of employees. Staff that feel they have the best possible machinery will also feel motivated to do the job, and that they are working for a business with the best interests of the workforce at heart.
Reduced risk of failures results in a reduction in the chance of injury in the workplace, making employees feel safer within their role as they operate machinery.
Employees that feel they are looked after are more likely to wish to stay within the organisation. They are working somewhere in which they have everything they require to do their job, and they feel valued in terms of their physical and mental health being looked after.
Taking construction for example, the industry with the most workplace deaths in 2021, employees that feel safe are likely to feel content in the business – removing the costly process of recruiting and training up new recruits to fill gaps in the workforce.
There are many advantages to investing in high quality, from the longevity of the product resulting in decreased amounts of downtime, to lower running costs and increased productivity and employee welfare.
The initial outlay for a quality machine or component may seem a big investment, but the long-term rewards make it worthwhile.
