Price Creep: 6 Budget Busters That Make Your Motion Control System Cost More Than You Expect

Motion control system costs are often weighed solely on price and lead time. For example, a system may cost $15,000 and take 4 weeks to receive it.

Simple, right?  Not quite.

There are more elements to consider when it comes to the true cost of an industrial motion control system—and those elements can majorly affect bottom line cost.  Here are six budget busters to watch out for:

1. Implementation. How long will the motion control system take to implement for your purposes? Don't forget the mechanical, electrical and software installations. Then, who is going to program it? At $1000/day over another 4 weeks, the true price could become $25,000 with an 8 week lead time.  That’s not a surprise you want to have to explain during a budget review.
2. Maintenance. How often do you plan on maintaining the system? Cleaning? Lubricating? Tightening belts? Re-tuning the servos? Taking a system down for a day can easily cost $1000 just in labor. That doesn't include the lost production time.  Consider the maintenance needs of the motion control systems you’re considering; they could vary widely and create headaches in the long run.
3. Replication. How easy will this system be to replicate if you need to? How about the ability to duplicate it even after 10 years when many of the parts will be obsolete? Having two systems that are different from each other can give you varying quality and make them more difficult to support.  Look for longevity to minimize future impact.
4. Cost of Quality. What is your Cost of Quality? If the system doesn't meet your needs, what will that cost you? How easy will it be to "upgrade" to the next step? How about the reliability of your system and whether it consistently meets your needs or not? What does downtime cost you...an hour? A day? 4 weeks?  You’d pay for a higher quality system several times over if you constantly need to fix the lower quality one.
5. Throughput. What does your production throughput cost you? For example, upgrading to a $25,000 system instead of a $15,000 one could double your system's production capability. A better system could pay for itself and then some in increased efficiency.
6. Support. When something goes wrong with the system, what do you expect to pay to get it back up and running? How long do you expect that to take? Do you want immediate free phone support? How about local field support? How about yearly maintenance fees simply to keep your system up to date?

Calculating and Documenting the True Cost of a Motion Control System

First, know what your average “soft costs” are.  These include:

• Labor rates
• Cost of production loss
• Desired system life-expectancy

Then, call us.  Let us know what motion control system you’re considering, and we can help you figure out and document the “hidden” costs associated with it.  If we can help with guaranteed implementation that fits your costs and your time frame, we’ll let you know.  If not, we’ll help you figure out something that does.
 
Call Valin at (800) 774-5630 or contact us to speak with one of our customer service representatives.