Do you keep the old equipment, or safeguard your company’s future?

By Kevin Marois

Old machines are like old cars. People say the old cars were the best. Maybe your memory is fading (or you weren’t even born then). I worked in a gas station back when I was young, and I remember those cars.

Nostalgia vs. Reality

You had to check the oil every time you filled up with gas. There was always an oil puddle on the driveway. You had to boost the battery at least a couple of times every winter. Do you remember Starter Fluid? And people died when they crashed those cars. It was a great way to learn to be a mechanic because you were always fixing something.

Nowadays, most of us don’t even check the oil between oil changes. The car starts at minus forty without even being plugged in. It keeps you between the ditches when you are distracted, .and if you do crash, modern safety features give you a far better chance of pulling the airbag off yourself, brushing the dust off your jacket, and walking away.

Machines Were Built to Last—Sometimes Too Well 

Don’t misunderstand me—our customers have some great old machines that we still repair, and they do exactly what they were designed to do. It’s amazing that they’re still working so well. 

I recently spoke to a lady from a prestigious men’s clothier about her foot stomper press. “It has been in the family for decades and we don’t want to replace it,” she said. They had lost a cast iron lever for the vacuum valve. Personally, I think that press had more sentimental value than production value.

We have Fulton boilers that have been in use for decades. A while back we replaced a washer that was probably 60 years old. It used a half-inch thick plastic card to control the valves. It was still working—they were just tired of having to put everything through the extractor after this machine finished washing. It was a simple machine and it was still performing as designed.

Repair vs. Replace 

Almost every week we have a discussion with someone about whether it’s worth paying a large amount of money to repair their aging machine. One customer’s machines are so old I told him he needed a mortician, not a mechanic.

How do you make the decision to give up on a tried-and-true machine that is no longer worth repairing and replace it with a shiny new one? Usually there isn’t much choice. We try to give customers options, but often they haven’t planned ahead. They can’t afford to be shut down due to an equipment failure, so they choose to put more money into an old machine. Of course, once you spend a lot of money on it, you can never get rid of it. You just have to keep spending more money and fixing it. It’s a vicious cycle.

Often the decision is made based on the delivery time for the new equipment. “We can’t get you a new machine for three weeks, but the part to fix this one could be flown in tomorrow.” The customer is in a panic and most often decides to repair the current machine. If they had planned ahead, they would not be spending that amount of money on an old machine.

For many customers, the only question is: Can it be repaired? They won’t even consider that this breakdown might actually be an opportunity.

When Should You Replace?

There are a few questions you should ask when considering the repair or replacement of a machine.

• Has the nature of your work changed since you bought this machine? 
• How does the cost of the repair compare with the cost of a new machine?
• Is there a machine that could do a better job?
• Is it frustrating your staff enough that it is affecting quality?
• Will the new machine pay for itself?
• Are other parts still available for this machine? (You don’t want to spend $4,000 fixing  the refrigeration only to find out the computer is no longer available.)

All of this assumes you have done some preliminary work. Research what machines are available and what features they have. Yes, new features cost money, and they force you to change how you do things. That is called progress.

How old is your cell phone? Why did you replace the last one? Did it actually quit working? You probably replaced it because you wanted some new features: email, better camera, AI search capabilities, the ability to check your store cameras while golfing. 

Those features were not previously available, so you replaced a perfectly good cell phone to get a new feature. It is the same with drycleaning equipment. If your business has changed and there is a feature that you need in order to properly serve your customers, then make the change. The bottom line is having the equipment on the floor that most efficiently and effectively lets your staff get the job done and please your customers. 

Sentimentality Isn’t a Business Strategy

We often hear, “It’s my favorite press. I’ve had it for so long. I can’t part with it.” There is no time for sentimentality. You are running a business, not a charity for stray dogs—or obsolete pieces of equipment. If it doesn’t make you money, you have to get rid of it. 

Too often, the only test for deciding whether to replace a machine is: Can it be fixed? But this is not a one-time analysis. From time to time, you need to reconsider the work you are doing and the way your equipment is operating. The decision to keep or replace a machine should be a conscious one.

Old Isn’t Bad. New Isn’t Good.

Just because a machine is old, it doesn’t mean it is bad. And just because a machine is new, it doesn’t mean it is good (for you). You have to look at the whole package. 

You may think that I am trying to sell you a new piece of equipment. Actually, I am trying to sell you on the idea of evaluating your equipment and your plant, and planning for the future.

The clock is ticking down. You may not know how much time is left, but every day your machines are getting closer to retirement. Be ready with a plan.

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