Your Equipment Doesn't Have to Be Broken to Be Costing Your Business Money
Published:
One of the biggest mistakes companies make with industrial recycling equipment is assuming that because a machine still operates, it's still the right machine for the job.
That's not always true.
A baler can run every day and still limit production.
A shredder can process material while requiring unnecessary labor.
A conveyor can move material while creating bottlenecks elsewhere in the operation.
Working equipment isn't necessarily efficient equipment.
The Hidden Cost of Outdated Equipment
Consider a manufacturing facility processing increasing volumes of recyclable material.
The original recycling system was designed around a certain production level.
Over time, the company grows.
Production increases.
Material volumes increase.
But the equipment stays the same.
Now employees are spending more time moving material, waiting for equipment, and managing the limitations of a system that was never designed for the current workload.
The equipment isn't necessarily failing.
The operation has simply outgrown it.
What Does That Really Cost?
Let's use a simple example.
Suppose an outdated material-handling process requires two employees to spend an additional 30 minutes per shift moving material.
That's one combined labor hour every day.
At a fully burdened labor cost of $35 per hour and 250 operating days annually:
That's $8,750 per year spent on one unnecessary hour of material handling.
Over five years, that's $43,750.
And that's before considering production delays, forklift usage, maintenance, or additional material handling.
Now imagine several inefficiencies throughout the operation.
The financial impact can become significant.
New Equipment Should Solve a Business Problem
At Black River Trading, we believe equipment selection should begin with understanding the customer's operation.
What material are you processing?
How much?
How quickly?
How much labor is involved?
Where are the bottlenecks?
What does the finished product need to look like?
Where does material go after processing?
Those answers help determine the right equipment.
For example:
Balemaster offers industrial auto-tie and closed-door baling solutions.
Excel provides full-eject closed-door, specialty full-eject, and small and large two-ram balers.
Titan Conveyors provides material-handling solutions that can improve how material moves throughout an operation.
Shred-Tech, Vecoplan, and Pronar provide shredding and size-reduction solutions for different applications.
Other manufacturers within BRT's portfolio offer additional options for compaction, densification, specialty processing, and material handling.
The objective isn't to sell a particular machine.
It's to solve the problem that's costing the customer money.
What If Your Existing Equipment Is Still the Right Choice?
Sometimes replacing equipment isn't necessary.
The machine may simply need proper preventative maintenance, repairs, or reconditioning.
That's another advantage of working with BRT.
We can evaluate the existing equipment and help determine whether repairing, rebuilding, or replacing it makes the most sense.
Our team provides field service, emergency repairs, preventative maintenance, equipment rebuilds, operator training, parts, baling wire, and ongoing technical support.
One Question Worth Asking
Walk through your facility today and ask:
If we were designing this operation from scratch, would we choose the same equipment and process we're using right now?
If the answer is no, there may be an opportunity worth exploring.
Black River Trading is ready to help.
📞 Contact BRT at (855) 278-1979 or sales@brtequipment.com.
Value. Integrity. Partnership. Exceptional Support.
