"The fact that the customer has received the equipment
doesn't mean anything"
Oleksiy Kolodchenko,
CEO of Steiner-Ukraine.
Since 2006, our company has been supplying and installing processing and packaging equipment for food production. Of course, our best-selling products are water, juice, milk and iced tea filling lines. To date, we have installed more than 100 lines across Ukraine, and we have vast experience in this area.
Purchasing, operating and maintaining equipment is not an easy task. Every year we come across customers who, when choosing equipment, look at the price tag first and foremost, forgetting to pay attention to technological capabilities, functionality and quality. When people focus only on price, they can buy the cheapest equipment without checking its quality. And then they spend a lot of time, effort and money to bring it into working order.
The second mistake is to buy too expensive equipment to be sure not to make a mistake... And this is not all the mistakes that are made in production. For this reason, we have identified three main categories of customers and the mistakes they make when buying equipment.
So, who are our clients?
- Sellers;
- Manufacturers;
- Investors.
☑️ Sellers are companies that sell goods. They have very good information about the assortment. They know what sells best and in what season. But sometimes they are let down by their own contractors in terms of delivery time, assortment, quality. Then such companies want to open their own production facilities to produce the volumes of products they need on time. That is, to create a completely closed cycle from production to sale. This is an ideal scheme, but there are certain difficulties. The difficulties arise from the fact that producing goods is not as easy and simple as selling them. Setting up a production process is a lot of hard work, which is often not taken seriously by companies that sell a particular product.
☑️ The next category of customers is manufacturers. These companies have long been engaged in production and have their own workshops related to industrial technologies. They have vast experience in organising production processes and in dealing with machinery. It would seem that nothing prevents you from opening a workshop for the production of goods, but there are still certain things that you should pay attention to. Each equipment has many of its own nuances and specifics, starting even with the fact that the range of products must be calculated and calculated depending on the region where it will be produced. As a result, the equipment may produce something that is not what the market expects, and then it will simply stand idle.
☑️ The third category of clients is investors. People or companies who have money and want to start a business in the production of goods. They do not always know the range of goods they will sell. Accordingly, they do not always understand what equipment to choose. Therefore, minimising their entry into the business and wanting to get a return on investment as soon as possible, they make the following mistakes: they buy equipment that does not meet their needs, does not produce the required production volumes, and produces the wrong assortment. All this leads to the fact that production will not be feasible and sales may stop before they even begin.
For reliable work, you should always look for a RELIABLE supplier. It should be formed over the years and work side by side with the manufacturer, then the output of the final product guarantees a very cool and really high-quality product. Therefore, when choosing a supplier, do not be lazy and conduct market research very carefully: ask for feedback from those who work on similar equipment, how such equipment satisfies this enterprise with its performance and functionality.
Also, don't forget that service is an integral service of the supplier. Any equipment needs maintenance. We have managed to build a stable market position thanks to service. The customer can contact us at any time to get technical advice, a specialist's visit to the site, or repair. Remember, in case of any malfunction, you have a maximum of two days to avoid losing the product.
The fact that the customer has received the equipment does not mean that the production of the product has begun. The equipment needs to be connected into a single production line. Starting up and adjusting the equipment, reaching the pre-specified indicators is the main point in the installation. Any technician can open the data sheet and see what the operating parameters should be. The owner's task is to check that his equipment works according to these parameters.
Today, efficiency, mobility and the availability of service departments are an undeniable competitive advantage in the market. That is why we carry out commissioning and demonstrate that the equipment is working and that all technical parameters have been achieved. If there are any deviations, we identify the unit and fix the problem.
Thus, the best way to avoid mistakes when choosing process equipment is to entrust this process to professionals. This will ultimately save money and increase the chances of success and quick payback for your business.
These were the main mistakes made by customers when choosing equipment.
If you recognise yourself in them, please send us your questions by email: info@steiner.com.uaWe will be happy to answer them.