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Don’t Buy the Wrong Relationship on Your Way to Buying the Right Equipment

Topic: General | Industry: General | Author: Jordan Dambeck

Posted on January 23, 2026

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Summary: Plant managers often focus on specs, price, and performance when buying processing equipment, but seasoned operators know they are also choosing a long-term partner. The right manufacturer helps boost throughput, reduce downtime, remove bottlenecks, and improve efficiency with expert guidance and smart maintenance planning.

Two Questions Processors Should Ask of their Equipment Provider to Improve Operational Success

When reaching out to potential equipment manufacturers, operators should pay special attention to the providers’ ability to help them improve throughput and productivity. Here are two key focal points:

1. How a Good Equipment Manufacturer Helps Improve Your Processes


Expert Insight and Accurate Problem Diagnosis
A good equipment manufacturer brings deep, hands-on experience with the root causes of processing inefficiencies. Their Applications Engineers often specialize in specific industries such as food, cosmetic, chemical and pharmaceutical, giving them the ability to diagnose bottlenecks with a level of precision most processors cannot achieve on their own.

Operational Optimization Backed by Real Engineering
A capable manufacturer does more than supply equipment; they evaluate how vessel size, staging, batch sequencing, and runtime behavior affect overall throughput. They can determine whether your process demands a single large vessel or whether multiple, smaller vessels would perform better based on offloading patterns and production rhythm.

Real-World Example of Process Improvement
One processor approached Lee Industries for help selecting a 1,000-gallon kettle. After reviewing the customer’s workflow, a Lee Applications Engineer recommended two 500-gallon kettles with staggered runtimes. This approach:

  • • Achieved the same total capacity
    • Eliminated a critical offloading bottleneck
    • Increased overall throughput
This is the type of practical, data-driven guidance a good manufacturer provides.

Ingredient and Product-Specific Engineering Guidance
Strong manufacturers also factor in product behavior such as viscosity, shear sensitivity, thermal response, miscibility, chemical compatibility and ensure the vessel’s geometry, agitator design, scraper materials, and jacket selection support efficient, repeatable results.

Precise Equipment Specification
Based on technical requirements, a knowledgeable manufacturer recommends the right:

  • • Vessel style and shape
    • Jacket design (steam, thermal oil, water, glycol)
    • Agitator and drive configuration
    • Auxiliary components like baffles, covers, lift assists, and sanitary connections.
This expertise ensures processors get equipment that fits the process, not the other way around.

2. How a Good Equipment Manufacturer Helps You Avoid Downtime


Understanding the True Cost of Downtime
Industry data consistently shows that equipment failure is the leading cause of lost production time. A Food Processing study found that 42% of plant-floor professionals cited unexpected equipment failures as the single greatest barrier to meeting production targets.

Why the Manufacturer Is Best Positioned to Prevent Failures
A reputable equipment manufacturer has access to information that no distributor or third-party service provider can match:

  • • Component-level engineering details
    • Performance history across similar applications
    • Material specifications and known wear patterns
    • Proven strategies for preventing premature failure
This insight allows them to pinpoint vulnerabilities before they affect production.

Customized Preventive Maintenance Programs
A good manufacturer builds maintenance schedules around the actual equipment design such as its age, cleaning regimen, product type, runtime, and environment. These programs typically evaluate:

  • • Mechanical wear and clearance
    • Agitator shaft alignment and drive condition
    • Gear motor performance
    • Jacket integrity and signs of leaks or corrosion
    • Ball valve seal condition and operation.
 
Proactive Replacement Planning
Experienced manufacturers also recommend replacement intervals for the components most likely to fail, including:

  • • Bearings
    • Bushings
    • Seals
    • Scraper blades and pins
Replacing these parts proactively dramatically reduces the risk of unplanned shutdowns.

Support for On-Site Parts Inventory
Finally, a good equipment manufacturer helps processors plan and maintain a customized on-site inventory of high-wear and long-lead-time parts. Having these components readily available allows repairs to be completed quickly, minimizing operational disruption and protecting production schedules.

Other Important Contributions to Seek from Your Equipment Provider

There are several other characteristics to look for in your equipment provider. Each of these, for example, can add further value to your operation:

Testing Lab
 
  • • Some equipment providers, including Lee Industries, offer a testing lab that allows manufacturers to evaluate how their ingredients and processes behave at scale.
    • This environment makes it easier to fine-tune formulas, adjust ingredient ratios, and evaluate mixing or cooking behavior before committing to full-scale production.
    • It also reduces risk by identifying process improvements early.

Engineering Support
 
  • • Experienced Applications Engineers can help improve existing processes and prevent operational missteps before they occur.
    • They can collaborate with R&D teams to scale products efficiently from lab to production.
    • Early engineering support helps prevent delays by planning for projected volume increases, thermal demands, or equipment constraints.

Production Problem-Solving
 
  • • Some production challenges can appear insurmountable without external expertise.
    • Strong partnerships with an equipment manufacturer often uncover creative solutions grounded in real-world experience.
    • These solutions may involve rethinking vessel configuration, modifying agitation patterns, adjusting heat-transfer strategies, or redesigning offloading workflows.

Here are a few examples where creative problem-solving made a big difference:

The impact a sophisticated equipment manufacturer can make on production efficiency can be significant. As you face your next equipment purchase decision, be sure to consider your vendor’s ability to provide value beyond the equipment itself. Otherwise, you might be missing out on the most valuable part of the process.

Let us know if you’d like to connect with a Lee Industries Applications Engineer. For more information on this topic, check out these resources:

Last Updated: 01/23/2026

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