Frozen Dessert Success - Blog by Sentry Equipment

Stocking Parts For The New Season

Written by Robert Romarino | Jan 24, 2019 2:29:24 PM

The frozen dessert equipment you use to make ice cream, gelato, water ice or whatever needs to run in tip-top shape for the entire season. If a machine breaks down or stops running all together, it could cost you major profits. If you're running Electro Freeze machines in your shop or restaurant you may not need to replace parts or machines as frequently as you would with other brands.  Even still, there are wearable parts that need to be changed to ensure proper equipment performance.  Changing these parts helps minimize issues and maximize product quality and durability.  So be prepared.  Because, as the saying goes: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong...and it will probably go wrong at the worst possible time.

Even though Sentry Equipment provides award-winning 24 hour, 7 days a week service, we can't argue with the store owner who wants to keep spare parts on hand.  If you have a part on hand that you can quickly and efficiently swap out, the more power to you. Time is money and waiting on parts to be shipped is time and money lost.  After all, at Sentry, we don't succeed if you don't succeed.


Here is a few tips on stocking up for parts. 

 

Always Be Prepared

Evaluating your equipment early in the season, before the madness begins, allows you to strategically look and what you currently have and what you might need so you can make the proper decisions regarding parting-up. After being in this business for 30 years, Sentry knows the longevity of the parts inside your machine - we can help inform you on how often and how much you will need in regards to parts and supplies. The key here is to make sure you actually have the part on-hand in case something does happen. Which is why it's important to stock that part before the season actually begins. That way you have the part you need and you don't have to revisit this issue again further into your busy season.

 

Wearable Parts

Wearable parts are individual parts of a machine that eventually breakdown due to wear and tear. These wearable parts are vital to every piece of equipment's maintenance. Changing these parts out at the first sign of wear and tear will greatly enhance the longevity of your machine as it will limit the chance of needing larger service issues. This is like the domino effect. One small problem with a part not functioning could lead to another issue, which will lead to larger issues. Wearable parts can include o-rings, hoses, lubricants, gaskets, blades and seals. These individual parts are not expensive by themselves but as part of the whole, they can contribute to a larger more expensive issue such as machine repair costs or downtime costs. Our customers who replace these wearable parts experience less service issues as compared to those who do not.

 

Maintenance

You hear a lot about preventative maintenance and whether you practice it or not, it's something you're probably familiar with. Think of your car. Every 3000-4000 you're probably looking at an oil change. This oil change every so often keeps the engine running at its optimal performance. Your body is not much different. Exercise (body maintenance) can go a long way in maintaining one's health, both physically and mentally. Even in the world of technology, you need maintenance. Your computer goes through security updates and patches every so often and to keep it secure you may need to employ some anti-virus software. Point being, nothing will run forever unless you help it a little and take care of it. Preventative thinking and maintenance are necessary to the longevity of your machines.

 

Advantages of Having Parts On Hand

Let's look at the obvious first, no downtime. If you had a part go or need a part, having it on hand in your store ensures little or no downtime and lost sales because you were waiting for a service technician or the part to be shipped in. You just by passed a major issue and lost profits by having that part in-stock. Another advantage to having the part on-site is the willingness to change the parts. If you do not have the parts on hand you are going to wait or stretch the limits of that part until it's too late. The longer you let that part go without replacing it you've entered the danger zone of that part causing a larger issue or repair bill.

Training is a huge part of the success of any operation. This is no different when it comes to your parts. You can train your staff on when parts need to be replaced and how to replace them. Many of our customers have an organized box of replacement parts on hand and require employees to record a log if and when a wearable part is replaced. Replacing one of these parts may sound pretty technical but thanks to our training services and online videos you can learn how to do and how to teach your staff.

Inventory becomes simpler to track. When you order your parts at once for the upcoming season it allows you to better track your spending and usage. If you're constantly ordering parts only when you need them, then you're going to get killed in shipping costs. Not to mention you won't have the part you need when you need it. This means your machine sits idle and you lose money by not making and selling profit. Ordering your parts at once will have its advantages as far as bulk pricing and preseason discounts. Don't wait to get your parts - anything after the season opener is too late. 

At Sentry Equipment we have full parts kits for whatever model of machine you own.  These parts kits are priced right and not overstocked with useless wearable parts you rarely change.  Just the main items - at the right price -  ready to ship to you during this preseason. 

To order, call us at 856-853-1967 or click on the image below.