With any savvy business owner likely to be obsessed (or at least very much interested) in their margins and operating costs, the opportunity to a cut a corner here and there in business can be all too tempting. Admittedly, there are some areas of your operation where a little tightening of the budget can pay dividends, but there are others where going cheap or rushing a process certainly doesn’t offer anything other than trouble.
For any business based in a trade where machinery and tools are a fundamental part of the operation, one of those absolute no-no areas is choosing equipment that isn’t up to standard – and there are a few big reasons why.
Health and safety
No matter your line of work, your responsibility to your employees in health and safety terms should take precedence above all else. If something goes wrong in the workplace, you as the employer are liable, and a big accident can not only be harmful in the immediate through a stop in operations, repair costs or loss of an injured employee, but also hurt you in the long term through legal problems and damage to your reputation.
Good health and safety in the workplace boils down to a few things – proper training being one of them – but arguably the most important element of your safety infrastructure is to have machinery and equipment that delivers what it’s supposed to with the absolute minimal risk attached. With most accidents in the workplace resulting from poorly maintained or jammed machinery, it’s not something you want to get wrong.
Boost productivity and employee happiness
Getting the right tool for the right job is essential in any line of work. If you want to get the most from your employees and the working day, make sure they have the right tools behind them to deliver the results you want to see. If you work in a trade where workers typically take pride in their work, you’ll also find having the right equipment will aid employee happiness on a daily basis, an encourage a better quality of product overall.
So, whether is just getting the right spanner sets for your team or investing in a brand new excavator for the site, make sure your employees have got what they need to do their job.
Prioritise value for money, but don’t go cheap
There’s a distinct difference between value for money and cheapness. The most expensive tool in the world could be the best value for money if it delivers the most profitable results, while the cheapest out there might save you money now but cost you plenty more in the long run.
The old saying “you get what you pay for” is often found to be true when it comes to heavy machinery and engineering, and when you consider that your employee’s health and safety and your overall product is on the line, it’s not too crazy to suggest your businesses profits are at the whim of the equipment you choose.
So, prioritise value in your equipment over cheapness when looking for the best budgetary decision. Often, you’ll find that means choosing quality above all else when selecting your equipment.
Choosing the right equipment for your business isn’t rocket science. The only tough bit is avoiding the temptation to save money by investing in cheaper tools that won’t do the job as well. With your business’s reputation, health and safety, your staff productivity and happiness and the quality of your service built on the foundations of the equipment you choose, hopefully it’s a corner you’ll choose not to cut.