Caveat Emptor: Selling Older Machines…

I was recently working with a company who had an interesting tale regarding the sale of one of their larger, older, hydraulic molding machines with a very large cylinder clamping unit and corresponding hydraulic reservoir…

Engineer
When we were trying to sell one of these pieces of junk, my recommendation was to drain the oil and sell it for scrap metal or parts. Purchasing then told me they had agreed to sell the machine for a few thousand dollars, hydraulic fluid and all.
note: After a quick calculation, he explained to them that they had just lost money since the value of the hydraulic fluid currently in the machine is worth almost twice the amount they are getting for the machine.
My Thoughts
Although complicated to quantify, most of these older machines are a real drag on the company and their resources. In this case, oil in the machine was more valuable than the machine itself. The machine was being sold because it was slow, unreliable, and wasting resources. It will provide the same drain of resources on the next molder who tries to operate it. Especially when your incorporate the expense of relocating, configuring, and hooking up the machine. In this case, I believe the engineer is right… the fluid should have been reclaimed and  the machine should have been either scrapped or sold for parts rather than be brought back into service.
-Andy

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