Making the Most of Your Machinery

1. Deciding machinery requirements
Market share/volume that can be sold
determines Required throughput or capacity.
Market share divided by (Machinery + labour +
other overhead expenses) =Cost per unit

2. Breakdown of machinery expense philosophies
approach 1; amortized with maintenance over a set
period
-Consulting or mentorship expenses
-Initial Purchase or lease - an accountant will help
decide, typically based on cash-flow
-Repairs or upgrades needed to put machinery into
service
-Maintenance plan & related costs
-Reserve fund/line of credit for emergency replacement
-Resale value at the end of the maintenance
plan/warranty (minus advertising and commission)

3. Breakdown of machinery expense philosophies
approach 2; educated guess of machinery
expense
Initial Purchase
Repairs or upgrades needed to put machinery into
service
Minimal maintenance
Reserve fund/line of credit for emergency
replacement or repairs
Resale or scrap value

4. Breakdown of machinery expense philosophies
approach 3; operate moment to moment
Being happy come what may

5. Strategies to get maximum value from machinery
Dealers with full service support
-Imported machinery has risks with service or
parts support unless it's supported by a reputable
dealer
Find helpful salespeople
-A good salesperson will give you time with their
service technician to allay concerns
-Your salesperson will override service or
warranty decisions since they have more margin
Regionally made machinery
cheaper
better support
designed for the geographic region
more custom options for colour, size, style

6. Signs of positive project leadership and
mentorship
Feeling understood and respected when we make a
request
Feeling clear when a project is declined;
-it would be unsafe, unethical, immoral
-better options are available, or there are major
design flaws
-not fitting with the vision, quality and reputation
Ability to ask tough questions such as;
-'how long do you plan to keep this?',
(maybe replacement is a better investment)
-'what other options have you looked at?'
-'how badly do you want to take on this project?'
-'what's in it for you?'

7. Strategies to make empowered decisions
1)Utilize industry trade associations and conferences
-ask what discounts are available, or ways others
are meeting their bottom line
-make connections with those established in the
industry to get advice
-get a feel of who people are before paying for
consulting or mentorship
2)Consider amortizing large capital purchases to
create more cash-flow

8. 3)Learn how to look past a fresh paint job, or new
tires when purchasing
-talk with whoever will be servicing your
machinery for their advice
-decide on indicators of wear, neglect, abuse,
modification, especially on demo units
-ask others who own the same or similar
equipment, check on internet forums
-make a check-sheet for your purchase, rank
what is most important, follow this list!
-budget on the high side so you're not stuck
looking for a deal
-always test used equipment, or negotiate a test
period, go through the manual, test all the
functions

9. 4)Join or start a machinery co-op, or machinery pool
5)Purchasing the same equipment as your neighbors
-share spare parts
-gain purchasing power,
-ability to swap out parts-especially if labour
intensive to troubleshoot like electronics

10. -Can you troubleshoot this?
-How do you know?

11. Be really careful with who touches electronics, or
anything else that is a one-shot deal. For example,
tractor manufacturers like AGCO are using electronic
solenoids that use variable voltage sent from the
computer. They cannot be tested without the proper
diagnostic equipment, if they receive the wrong
voltage the solenoids will need replacement.
If you're keeping old tractors with electronics, have a
contingency plan in place. Service can require
having them trucked to a dealer for diagnostics, or
extensive downtime if wiring harnesses need to be
made. Wiring malfunction is a major cause of
machinery fires, don't make modifications, add lights
or accessories without knowing the design of the
system being hooked into.

12. With rare equipment that you feel dependent on,
consider the replacement cost of major hydraulic
components, injection pumps, engine rebuilds,
and have a contingency plan.
If you rely on your mechanic for emergency
service, ask what it will take to get that emergency
service, or get to the top of the queue. If it's not
possible, look at where that downtime would leave
you, and have a plan around it.
Avoid used equipment made with the first year of
new technology unless you know it's now proven.

13. Commissioning or building custom machinery
Determine throughput, then;
determine how expansion or increases in
capacity will be accounted for;
-adding into a line to reduce bottlenecks
-adding a second processing line or a
new facility
-selling old machinery to purchase more
suitable machinery

14. Food or Processing Line Considerations
-Proper design to eliminate entry of
contamination
-Elimination of crevices and surfaces that require
cleaning
-Human-Machine-Interface
-Design for easy wash-down, so that
processes are sure to be followed
-Adjustability to eliminate repetitive stress
from injuries
Stainless steel is typically expensive and slow to work
with, making labour a greater expense. Partnering
with a manufacturer who likes and invests in your
product is the only way I know of to get the best
results. Insist on seeing examples of past work in
person, and have similar work to compare it to.

15. Strategies to get the most value from machinery
Dealers with full service support
-Imported machinery has risks, limited track
record, service or parts support
Find helpful salespeople
-A good dealer will give you time with their
service technician to allay concerns
-A salesperson will override service or warranty
decisions since they have more margin
Regionally made equipment
cheaper
better support
designed for the geographic region
more custom options for colour, size, style

16. Signs of positive project leadership and mentorship
Feeling understood and respected when a request is made
Feeling clear when a project is declined;
-it would be unsafe, unethical, immoral
-better options are available, or there are major design
flaws
-not fitting with the vision, quality and reputation
Ability to ask tough questions such as;
-'how long do you plan to keep this?',
maybe replacement is a better investment
-'what other options have you looked at?'
-'how badly do you want to take on this project, what's
in it for you?'

17. Organizational design attributes
Succession planning for the ownership and
management
Record keeping system for designs, parts and
materials
Budget for innovation
Capacity list for machines and services
-empower you to an educated decision
-demonstrated time advantages
-quality advantages

18. Machining Capacity
Engine Lathe
-20”(30”gap) swing, 84” between
centers,
-2” spindle bore, #5MT tail-stock
Hydraulic Tracer
-Duplication and contouring of
turned parts
​Threading Machine/Pipe Threader
-¼ to 1” bolt making, ¼ to 2” pipe
threading
​Radial Arm Drill
-4' Arm, #5MT Spindle
Magnetic Base Drill
-#3MT Spindle
Magnetic Base Rotabroach
-1 3/8 cutter capacity, 450 RPM
Universal Milling Machine
-9”x42”table – 28”X, 12”Y, 16Z
Horizontal Milling Machine
-10”x46”table – 38”X, 12”Y, 20”Z
Horizontal Bandsaw
-13”x18”, 13”x13” mitre, semi-automatic
​Hydraulic Ironworker Click Here for
Video
-Punch Maximum 13/16" Thru 3/4"
thick material or 50 Tons
-Bending Maximum 50 Tons
-Bar Shear 1-1/2" Round or 1" Square
-Plate Shear 1" x 4" w / Fixed Hold-
down, 3/4" x 10", or 5/8" x 15"
-Angle Shear 5" x 5" x 3/8" or 4" x 4” x
1/2"
-Coper-Notcher 2-3/4" x 4" x 1/4"
​Universal Metal Bender
-Pipe to 1.5”, tubing to 2” OD,
extensive tooling

19. Design philosophy
-common off the shelf materials including re-
purposed components
Partnering options
-taking a payment based on performance of
what is produced
-having a continual stake in the success of
active clients
*Like me, you may have worked many places that
would sell anything, even if it wasn't going to
work. What would make you want to work with
people that won't partnering with you to ensure
they have a stake in your success?

20. Worker attributes;
-genuinely interested
-fulfilled by their work
-wages based on commitment and performance
-if they don't know the answer to a relevant
question, they offer to follow up

21. Workers with a tangible stake in the success of the
organization ensuring quality & innovation.
Training plan for workers, and greater rewards as
experience is gained
Channels for outside information to reach all workers;
trade shows, industry associations
Healthy competition in the organization or industry,
ensuring innovation, due diligence,
Dealer/service network is put in place when going
beyond a regional setting

22. What you can do on-farm
Parts inventory system
-find out how long to obtain wearing parts,
consumables
-track what is used, stock materials
accordingly
Preventative maintenance programs
-keep consumables on hand so maintenance
can be done on rainy days
Have conversations with others who geek out
about machines
-genuine enthusiasm is infectious
Building mentoring relationships
-learn how to use your specialty as a

23. Pre-start Health and Safety Review Comparison
There are many laws regulating both machinery
safety and food safety. Looking to provinces with
stricter regulation is a great way to inform what keeps
us healthy.
We will have more resilience when factoring safety
into long-term investments. When we plan
effectively, we can refine production methods on our
own terms!

24. In New Brunswick, under
the Occupational Health
and Safety Act 235(1) An
employer shall ensure
that a machine is erected,
installed, assembled,
started, operated, used,
handled, stored, stopped,
serviced, tested, cleaned,
adjusted, maintained,
repaired and dismantled
in accordance with the
manufacturer’s
specifications.
In Ontario, A Pre-start
Health and Safety Review
is required when new or
used equipment or process
is moved to a new
workplace. Exemptions are
possible under certain
specific conditions.
sections 66(1) and 66(2) of
the Occupational Health
and Safety Act (Ontario)
state that, if convicted
under the Act, an individual
can be fined up to $25,000
and/or imprisoned for up to
12 months. The maximum
fine for a corporation is
$500,000.

25. Most importantly, are you, your partners and
suppliers working to create the safest
environment for the people you care about who
are working around machinery, while proactively
anticipating future regulations?
Thank-you!
Daniel Haartman
www.communitymachinery.com
Sackville, New Brunswick
506 899 4880