If you listen to Billy Joel and agree with his philosophy of, “Don’t waste your money on a new set of speakers, you get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers”, then we aren’t on the same page……….

I spent a fair amount of hard earned cash on my current woofers and tweeters, (hi-fi component, not my personal social media consultants), and my old Converse All Stars are ageing better than I am.

Having sold injection moulding machinery for a number of years, I genuinely believe that you get what you pay for.  Yes, you can buy a cheap machine, but when you look into the detailed specification and longer term costs, they usually stop being quite such a bargain.

The same rules apply to any ancillary items you buy, you should be considering all of the below points, not just the up-front cost. To illustrate the point, let’s focus on a relatively inexpensive item, the humble hopper loader.

  • Will it fit properly and do the job? A reputable company will make sure that adapter plates etc. are provided and that the unit’s specification will easily cope with your material throughput.
  • What happens if I get problems out of warranty? Dealing with financially stable and well established UK based companies provides better service both during and after the warranty period.  If a unit goes down, you are faced with manually filling a machine until the problem gets sorted, something your H&S guy will lose sleep over.
  • Design and performance. More money spent up front can provide long term savings on energy usage and less down time.  For example, most units offer automatic filter cleaning, but will you still be constantly unblocking a cheaper model?
  • Re-sale value. This doesn’t apply so much to a loader, but a well-built product from a reputable source will always have a higher residual value.

You can relax now!

If you are reading this blog, then you are probably a regular visitor to the PlastikCity site.  If you use the clear and simple quote request forms to source your equipment, then you can ignore everything I’ve just told you!

That’s because to be an approved supplier on the site, you have to be an established, UK based provider of equipment that is of a good standard, and you must have a good name within the industry.  Because of this, as a buyer, you can focus on the finer technical details and relax in the knowledge that your chosen supplier will be offering genuine value for money.

Billy Joel – You didn’t pull Christie Brinkley by being a cheapskate!