Against a background of millions of pounds worth of process and packaging equipment being tied up in companies today, and recent research that suggests around 5% of these assets are lying idle at any time, it is perhaps not surprising that many forward-thinking managers are now looking to proactively manage the assets they hold within their business.
Redeployment of high-value equipment, on-site or to another facility, is often the preferred scenario and certainly delivers the highest ROI. But, in some situations, a managed sale, a competitive bid event, or clearance of assets can be appropriate alternative strategies to recover value (fig 1).
Fig 1. Based on individual circumstances, assets are liquidated using a range of strategies that maximise return within given time constraints
Whatever the case, a managed asset programme requires discipline, robust, flexible processes and (perhaps most of all) industry know-how and expertise in valuing and selling the specialist equipment used in industry. Most companies are experts in their chosen field – manufacturing and packaging pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, or personal care products, for example – and do not have the skills or know-how in house to realise maximum returns without the help of an external partner company like ours.
Visibility is the key
In order to properly utilise the various channels and tools available, a specialist partner should be able to provide a solid software platform to list all assets in a plant or company. In our experience, by configuring this core element of the programme as a customisable web-based, secure software package (EquipNet ARMS? – Asset Redeployment Management System) that can sit behind a corporation's fire-wall, we ensure maximum visibility of assets across the world – site by site. This guarantees the highest chance that equipment can be redeployed within the business.
If we consider the results of a current client relationship; we began work on a global initiative with a major company around 10 years ago, the goal was to allow visibility of assets across multiple manufacturing sites. Using the approaches described above, they have been able to not only share and redeploy assets between sites and sell-off their surplus equipment, but also to consider the purchase of premium pre-owned assets from other top-tier manufacturers. The programme has so far generated over £8.5 million in savings!
