Why Cheap Manual Handling Products can be an Expensive Investment

With overseas manufacturing, many products in the UK have become cheaper over the years: cheaper because raw materials cost less, cheaper due to lower wages and cheaper due to reduced regulation. Quality correlates with price and longevity – high-quality products tend to last longer than low-quality products.

In the short term, cheaper low-quality products are generally appealing to company finance departments. Products are received and accountants have fewer outgoing expenses for that financial year. For year one this works, but what about year two, ten or 20? Do cheap products last 20 years and offer true ‘good value’?

Manual handling equipment has a lifespan, just like any industrial machinery, tool or vehicle. We all know that a cheap product generally doesn’t last the same amount of time as an expensive product. If a product is worth twice as much as another product but lasts for more than twice as long then it would be reasonable to say that it is cheaper in the long term.

Here at STS we're firmly committed to manufacturing high-quality drum handling equipment. We expect our drum lifters to last decades not years, and it does. Many customers contact us after 12 or more years with equipment still in daily use, and they're always pleased with how the equipment performs and lasts.

We believe that if you source the right quality equipment then you and your company can expect a number of positive results:

• employees like using the handling equipment;
• cost per use is reduced the longer the equipment lasts;
• there are fewer breakdowns, repairs and lost company time;
• quality offers enhanced usability and safety;
• you’ll make a long-term investment in quality work equipment.

So rather than going for the cheapest option, it’s better to invest in the right drum handling equipment. Not only will it end up costing less in the long run, but it will also make your manual handling tasks safer and easier.