MACHINERY

When shopping on a budget, many companies focus on the initial price, but often it’s the cost in the long run that’s really worth taking into account. More expensive high-end machinery is often built to last, so you’ll spend less in repairs. Such machinery may also have greater precision, helping to minimize mistakes. That said, you may not want to invest in a top-quality machine if you’re only going to get occasional use out of it. Determine what your company really needs

Shop second hand

You don’t have to buy machinery brand new from a manufacturer in order to ensure good quality. It’s possible you’ll find machinery in mint condition on used sites such as Gumtree at a much cheaper price (e.g. reclaimed machinery, machinery being sold due to liquidation). If possible, you should always inspect the machinery in person before buying so that you have a good idea of the condition

Hire machinery

It’s also possible to hire or lease machinery rather than buying it outright as a way of saving costs. Hiring can be a great option for machinery that you may need only for a temporary job, whilst leasing is a better option for machinery that you want to use on a regular basis. Hire companies often supply top quality machines, although you should shop around to find a hire company that is reputable. You’ll find established machinery hire companies such as Speedy Services online

Read reviews

Online reviews of machinery can help you to make a better judgement on which machine to buy by seeing what other users think. Sites like Trust Pilot are great for reading user reviews on machines and suppliers. Professional reviews meanwhile may offer a more educated opinion – there are plenty of comparison guides such as this Expert Reviews guide to the best commercial coffee machines. Don’t rely on testimonials found on a company website as these are often biased and won’t point out any of the negatives, which are important to take into account when buying a machine

Try it out

Some sellers may allow you to give machines a test drive. This could be useful for helping you to determine whether its the right machine for you, giving you a better idea of how user-friendly the machine is. Another option could be to get the seller to demo the product so that you can see how well it works and whether there are any faults (useful for second-hand machines)