We’re all used to replacing old machines with new ones. If you’re average, you keep a car for six years. Your two-year-old phone? It’s about 110 in dog years and you’re due for an upgrade.
Our machines are an exception to that rule.
Steele pug sealers and extruders shape difficult, low-moisture raw materials. Steele customers run our machines for decades and they run them hard.
Like any machines, ours need routine maintenance. And after a half-century or so of service, they may need a major component or shaft replaced. When that happens, we take care of it.
Our service philosophy is simple — as long as you have a machine made by J.C. Steele & Sons, we’ll support it.
The challenge of servicing a 71-year-old machine
One of the machines we’re servicing right now was commissioned in 1949. Which is unusual, even for us. This 30E extruder started life in Mississippi as a production machine. At some point in the 20th century, a brick company in the northeast bought it to make shapes.
After 71 years of reliable service, the machine needed a new lower vacuum chamber. This is a significant structural component that we cast in our Statesville foundry.
In cases like this, we start with the documentation. We pulled the pattern, made in 1947, on this component to cast it. Next, we visited another Steele customer to take measurements on their 30E. This helps us save time when the parts arrive at the customer site.
We’ve cast the replacement component and it’s in our machine shop for finishing. When it’s ready to ship, a Steele field service technician will supervise the replacement on site.
The cost advantage of repair versus replacement
A lower vacuum chamber is a big casting. When you add up the costs of manufacturing, field service and installation, it’s not a small amount. Still, it’s one third of the cost of buying a new machine and our customer avoids the capital expense. In times like these, every little bit helps.
That means this old 30E will still generate an impressive return on investment.
One day soon, it’ll be back on the job, extruding shapes. And if it ever needs more servicing, say in 2091, we plan to take care of it.
Our commitment to you is service, no matter how old the machine.
