The crane industry is riddled with inferior products that are borderline in meeting industry requirements or standards. Many times these same crane manufacturers sit on the board and write the industry standards of many well known crane associations. These same manufacturers take the product materials to their limits in order to reduce their manufacturing costs. Initially this may seem like a great idea, but with that comes a cost to the consumer such as performance issues, durability and life expectancy. Some of these effects are direct and some are indirect. Many times this approach goes unnoticed to the consumer since they are unaware of concerns they should have with the cost of ownership. It’s kind of like a free puppy. Nothing is free and you end up paying for it one way or another. You can either pay up front and have a great product that you can be proud of or you can save some money initially and buy an inferior product that costs you far more in the long run.
Let’s take a look at some of the ownership factors between Kundel Cranes and the blue rigid crane system: product cost, installation costs, maintenance, cost of repairs, coverage, cost of coverage, ease of movement and a 7 year cost of ownership…
Kundel Crane Vs. the Competitor
Example: 1 Ton 20′ x 20′ ceiling supported Push/Pull Workstation Crane
1. Product Cost – KUNDEL $6,908 vs. Blue Crane $6,011 – [Blue Wins on initial price]
2. Installation Costs – KUNDEL $1,000 vs. Blue Crane $2,400 – [KUNDEL wins]
3. Maintenance Costs – KUNDEL $0 vs. Blue Crane $600 per year – [KUNDEL wins]
4. Cost of Repairs – KUNDEL $0 vs. Blue Crane $250 first 2 years; $500 thereafter – [KUNDEL wins]
5. Coverage Area – KUNDEL 18′-8″ x 18′-8″ [352 sq.ft.] vs. Blue Crane 17′-4″ x 17′-4″ [300 sq.ft.] – [KUNDEL wins ]
6. Cost per Square Foot – KUNDEL $19.63 per sq.ft. vs Blue Crane $20.03 per sq.ft. – [KUNDEL wins]
7. Ease of Movement – KUNDEL 7.9 lbs of force vs. Blue Crane 8.8 lbs of force – [KUNDEL wins]
8. Seven year cost of Ownership – KUNDEL $7,908 vs. Blue Crane $15,603 – [KUNDEL wins]
9. Choosing KUNDEL Cranes vs Blue Crane – [Customer wins]
Conclusion | Kundel Crane Wins
Many times these costs are overlooked due to the fact that they can take place weeks and months after the initial purchase and installation. Poor communication between maintenance departments, purchasing departments and the front offices can spell disaster after years of profits are lost by continually investing into a product that is slowly siphoning profits from the company by unnecessary expenditures to operate and maintain inferior equipment. So the next time you are in the market to purchase a crane product to increase your safety and production look into the details of cost of ownership… you will be happy you did!