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Look at your business as a whole

Rather than make isolated purchases, it helps to look at the overall needs of your operations. Short-term purchases without long-term plans are costly and may not yield the best results. An external consultant can conduct a review of operational processes (ROP) to help you fully understand the way your business works. Using the ROP, the consultant can devise a sound plan that ensures your operations run smoothly and don't generate waste.

Creating such a plan helps you focus on improving one area of your business at a time, rather than tackling an entire process. Ultimately, you could improve turnaround time, efficiency or other aspects of your business. You might even discover you don't need to buy new equipment at all. You could then use the money you've saved—or avoided spending—to make additional investments in your company.

A consultant can also help you anticipate and handle human resources issues arising from new equipment and processes. For instance, if new machines make some jobs redundant, will you be able to move affected employees to other positions in your company? Will you face increased costs for severance pay or retraining? Do collective agreements affect your ability to reassign workers?

Shop around for suppliers

The Internet gives you access to a wide range of specialized equipment companies, so take the time to browse. Check out newsletters targeting specific industries and attend trade shows where you can get some hands-on time with equipment. You can also talk to industry associations to get more information. Don't let price alone guide you in your supplier decision. Look at important aspects such as post-sales service, scalability and the reputation of the supplier, and get references. If you're a loyal customer, you can ask for better warranties or an extended customer service plan.

Keep training in mind

All too often, entrepreneurs don't consider the time, money and resources required to train employees on new equipment. You want to avoid the productivity drop that occurs when employees take too much time to adapt to new technology or processes. If the equipment is new or has new features, you can assume employees will face a learning curve. It's important to head off any problems by ensuring that you have the financing in place to address the resulting downtime. You'll need to block time off to train employees and still be sure that your operations can run at capacity.

Know your financing options

Every method of financing has advantages and disadvantages, so carefully evaluate each option. The factors to be considered vary from one company to the other, depending on your company's credit record or line of business.

* Purchasing: Purchasing enables you to own the equipment as soon as the transaction is completed. Your company amortizes the cost over the lifespan of the equipment. It may be possible to get financing for more than the purchase price. BDC, for example, offers up to 125% financing in some cases, providing additional funds that can cover the cost of installation and training.

* Leasing: If you lease the equipment for a specific period, your payments may be lower than they would be if you purchased the equipment. However, you do not own the equipment and you will have to wait until the contract ends to buy it, if you wish to do so. The price you pay at the end of the contract may be lower than the initial purchase price would have been, but since you've also been making lease payments, this option may cost more in the long run than others. Depending on the structure of the lease, your payments may be included as part of your operating costs.

* Renting: This option may be appropriate for equipment that quickly becomes obsolete or is needed for a specific project. Rented equipment is not considered a fixed asset, so you can quickly exchange or return it with minimal cost.

Think safety first

A healthy and safe work environment means your employees and your company can be more productive, and this rule applies to your equipment and technology purchases as well. Your suppliers are responsible for selling you equipment that can be used safely, but you are responsible for ensuring that your employees follow safety rules. For more information, visit Workplace Health and Safety, a site run by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.

You may also want to ensure that office equipment such as furniture is ergonomically designed to reduce employees' risk of injury and discomfort, while enhancing productivity. Two ergonomic design standards apply to office equipment such as computers: ISO 6385 (international standard) and the CSA Z412 Guideline on Office Ergonomics (Canadian standard).

Keep it green

When purchasing equipment or technology, be sure that it's energy efficient. Not only will you be saving money, but you'll also be contributing to the health of the planet. Research the environmental impact of your new equipment. Find out how to dispose of your existing equipment in a way that minimizes its negative impact on the environment.

Investing in the right equipment is a complex task. It's vital to determine whether a particular piece of equipment can help you compete, innovate and thrive; to pick the right supplier; to allow adequate time for employees to adjust to new processes; to figure out whether you should buy, lease or rent the equipment; and to take human resources, health, safety and environmental considerations into account. An external consultant can help you see the big picture and plan your purchases so that your new equipment supports your company's success in challenging times.