Is buying second-hand machinery a good idea? What are the benefits of buying used machine tools? What kind of equipment can you find? Second-hand machinery is increasingly used by new and emerging companies in the metalworking sector. The advantages of buying used machinery are many.
What is second-hand machinery?
Setting up a machining workshop or a small factory or business usually involves many expenses. One of them is undoubtedly the work tools. These tools are none other than the machines that carry out the different operations. The problem for small workshops and other start-ups is that a new machine tool is quite expensive.
And what if you need not just one machine, but two or three different ones? In these cases, the best option is to use second-hand machinery. Buying used machines lets you reduce the risk and the capital invested when it comes to brand-new businesses. And it is not only small workshops that buy used machinery: large companies in the sector also acquire second-hand equipment. This is because used machines offer major advantages.
Benefits of buying second-hand machinery
Considerable savings
A second-hand machine tool can cost you up to half the price of a new one, and that does not mean the machine is damaged or not working properly. These are simply machines that have lost value through use. An original machine that looks as good as new can be much cheaper than an unused one.
Ideal for emergencies
Even if the workshop machinery receives proper preventive maintenance, no one is completely safe from accidents and breakdowns. A machine can fail for various reasons and, as a result, halt production. A production stoppage in a workshop or factory can mean heavy losses, especially if the machine has broken down completely or needs a lengthy, complex repair.
In these cases, many companies opt for second-hand machinery. Why? Because these machines are delivered immediately, there is a wide stock of equipment similar to yours, and you may even find the very same machine that broke down. In emergencies, used machines are the best alternative.
Depreciation?
New machine tools depreciate with use and lose even more value each time they are resold. A new machine with minimal use, bought for example for 10,000 euros, may be worth just 8,000 euros a month later; in other words, it has depreciated by 2,000 euros, and it keeps depreciating the more times it is sold on to other companies.
Second-hand machinery does not lose its value as quickly, and the depreciation it undergoes is less significant.
Second-hand machinery as good as new
Used machinery is usually delivered fully overhauled and reconditioned, in other words, as good as new. The buyer therefore receives quality and safety guarantees for the machine. Second-hand machines are functional, and they are tested and restored before being delivered to the next buyer. When machines are fully restored, their value can rise again and so can their selling price.
Bear in mind that the machine will have passed all the quality checks required for its operation and to guarantee operator safety.
Immediate delivery
One of the great benefits of this type of machinery is that it is delivered immediately. You can even go to the premises and take the machine away on the spot. With new machinery, delivery times are much longer, weeks or months, and you may sometimes end up on a waiting list. And if the machine comes from another country, the delivery time will be even longer.
Service and support
When you buy used machinery from a leading company, you get not only guarantees but also service engineers. Depending on the company, you may have technicians at your disposal, usually the same ones who set up the machine before delivery. They also take care of installing the machine if necessary and of training your workshop operators if they are not familiar with the machinery.
Types of used machinery
The second-hand machinery catalogue is quite extensive and receives a constant flow of machines. You can buy conventional machinery such as engine and vertical lathes; vertical and turret milling machines; grinding machines in their various versions (tangential, surface and so on) and machines for bending, forming and rolling sheet metal and tubes.
You will also find machines with computer numerical control technology (CNC). These are among the most advanced machines on the market, and finding them used can be a great advantage.