Reconditioning and Fabrication of Industrial Equipment
Equipment Maintenance
Reconditioning
Running an industrial manufacturing plant can be costly. Not having the right equipment – or having equipment break down – can cause delays in your production line that result in financial loss and severely impact productivity for days, weeks, or even months. Having options to purchase, replace, or repair your equipment is critical to ensuring your business runs as planned without breaking your budget or suffering catastrophic downtime. Reconditioning and fabrication are two ways to guarantee that you are making the best use of your resources.
A recent study reported that large industrial facilities lose hundreds of millions of dollars yearly to machine failures. The True Cost Of Downtime report polled 72 major multinational industrial and manufacturing companies and found that large plants lose 323 production hours a year on average to malfunctioning equipment. The average cost of lost revenue, financial penalties, idle staff, and restarting lines is $532,000 per hour, amounting to $172 million per plant annually. The total loss across manufacturing is staggering, totaling nearly $1 billion annually.
Even if you are not a large plant, you should promptly address even the most minor issues with your equipment. Allowing a problem to persist can lead to more significant damages and more expensive repairs down the road.
What is Reconditioning?
When you need to make an industrial purchase, you can buy new or reconditioned parts and equipment.
Reconditioning is defined as the process of overhauling or renovating a piece of equipment, utilizing new replacement parts to guarantee that the equipment meets the required specifications of the original product. Remanufactured or reconditioned equipment is a more affordable and viable solution, assuming that the company producing the reconditioned product is reputable.
When reconditioning industrial equipment, experienced fabricators and machinists consider each customer’s type of equipment and unique modification requests. Understanding that there may be some deviation based on those factors, some standard steps are involved in reconditioning industrial equipment. These range from sandblasting exterior painted surfaces and replacing deteriorated steel to pressure testing, disassembling mechanicals for inspection, and replacing worn parts. Skilled technicians will then test the unit for functionality and paint the equipment for a new appearance.
What is Fabrication?
All industrial equipment is made from many parts, each designed and manufactured for a specific purpose. Each of these parts has the potential to break or fail at any point, whether from expected wear and tear or an unforeseen incident. To continue to utilize the machine, the part obviously must be replaced. However, sometimes, sourcing specific parts for specialized machines can be challenging. The part may be obsolete and no longer in production at all. Fabrication is an excellent solution for manufacturing facilities. Experienced craftsmen can fabricate a new element to fit the equipment, allowing a company to fix a machine that wouldn’t have otherwise been reparable. Without professional fabrication, industrial manufacturing facilities might be forced to scrap a machine for the sake of one broken part. Therefore, fabrication represents a significant potential cost savings for manufacturing firms.
Expert Tip:When seeking a partner to provide you with fabricated or reconditioned parts and machinery, be sure to choose one that can also maintain, repair, and install the equipment. Working through a breakdown saps enough of your resources – don’t waste more time and money searching for multiple companies.
Zwirner Equipment Company prides itself on being a one-stop shop for sanitary-grade stainless steel equipment. Whether new or used, parts or maintenance, reconditioned or fabricated – we handle everything from start to finish. If you rely on industrial tanks, homogenizers, or refrigeration, we are the call to make to ensure that your operations get back online. Click here to learn more about our services and the industries we service.
