It’s a new year and the economic indicators are more positive than they have been in quite some time.

New construction is up, renovations are up. Even the Florida construction market is improving.

Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity projects the construction industry is expected to grow at a 3.6 percent annual rate this decade, the fastest clip of any U.S. sector. Construction is finally growing without government tax dollars.

An improving market leads to increased confidence and that confidence leads to spending or investing. If you’re making a living in the construction industry, 2014 may be the year to grow your business through the purchase of capital — specifically, roll-forming equipment.

There are plenty of options when considering roll-forming equipment, and nothing varies as much as the size of the investment. The important thing to remember is you have to consider your return on that investment. Before you get hung up on price, you have to figure out what you need and take into account some important considerations before purchasing equipment.

“One of the big things to consider is the flexibility of the machine,” said Bob Repovs, CEO at Toronto-based Samco Machinery. “You don’t want a dedicated machine that just does one thing. You want to get as much out of a machine as possible.

Flexibility

Flexible roll formers allow automated product, width, height, gauge and punch-pattern changes.

“As an example, with machines for steel framing or roof panels, you don’t want a machine that produces just 2-by-4 studs or a single roofing profile,” Repovs said. “You want to be able to make studs with varying thicknesses and widths with different gauges on your steel framing machine. With your roof-panel machine, you should be able to produce a variety of roofing profiles with a variety of gauges as well as metals. And it’s important that downtime is minimized by quick changeover capability.”

Samco Machinery manufactures equipment for a variety of industries including HVAC, garage doors, automotive, roofing and framing. Repovs said the demands of each industry overlap with the others and the information they learn in one industry can be applied in others. That’s why the Samco staff includes 25 engineers.

“Our reps are out in the field providing solutions, providing customers with exactly what they need, not a machine off the shelf,” Repovs said. “Machines are built for each customer.”

When purchasing equipment, Repovs suggests buyers must also consider coil handling. Will you be loading coil with a forklift or a crane? Where will coil be stored? Specifically, for your machine, do you want a single uncoiler or a double uncoiler, which increases efficiency because downtime is dramatically reduced?

Handling

On the other end of the machine, material handling is an important consideration. Does the product fall into a bucket? Is it being packaged? Does it need room for nesting and stacking? Find the solutions to these issues.

“The improvements in the electrical components of roll-forming equipment are a selling point as well,” Repovs said. “Through computers, we can connect to a machine and troubleshoot problems in the field right from our office at Samco. A lot of times it’s something simple — someone pushed a button they didn’t want to push. We can help with that and more serious issues as they arise.”

Which brings up the consideration of service offered by the roll-former manufacturer.

“On occasion, by the time a roll former is commissioned and installed, the guy marked as the operator is gone or gone soon after,” Repovs said. “It’s important to have access to field training for any new operators to ensure the highest efficiency.”

Any investment should draw careful consideration. Getting anything less than what is best for your business should be unacceptable.

This article was supplied by Samco Machinery Ltd. It designs and manufactures roll-forming systems for steel stud and track, roofing and wall panels, automotive parts, shelving and racking, HVAC, furniture components and many other customized products. For more information, visit www.samco-machinery.com.