INTENSIFIED activity in our Defense Program is stimulating every real American, and particularly those in Industry; to a degree not even reached prior to the World War. “No cause for panic or alarm” is sensible advice to give to the Nation, but too much emphasis cannot be placed upon the necessity for immediate action on the part of all who are able to contribute to our National Preparedness for Defense.
In this issue of Surplus Record we are endeavoring to present a true picture of how the dealers in Surplus Industrial Equipment fit into the Preparedness picture. The apparent scarcity of some classes of manufacturing machinery has caused no small amount of concern, but the stories which have been told are only from the viewpoint of the machinery builders’ ability or capacity to produce the necessary new machines to meet the demand for mechanized war equipment.
This industry of buying, reconditioning and reselling machinery and equipment, the Surplus Industrial Equipment Industry, seems to have been overlooked. Its importance as an economic factor has in the past been generally recognized. Even now many machinery users are wondering where and how they can get additional machines to produce the munitions and mechanized products required of them in case of an emergency.
We are not claiming that the Surplus Machinery Industry is a cure-all for this problem. We do say that there are hundreds, yes thousands, of good usable machines in dealers’ warehouses and idle in plants around the country which will go a long way towards filling this gap.
The dealer in surplus machinery is the logical medium to transplant or reallocate these machines. There are scores of concerns in this country who have the men, machinery and equipment to properly recondition and modernize practically any type of manufacturing equipment. These machinery men are better equipped, through actual experience, to handle this job. They are all specialists to some degree or other, and they can be relied upon to do their part in furthering this cause. At the same time, it is the responsibility of each and every dealer in this Industry to accept a patriotic responsibility in all transactions.
So, it is our suggestion that the Surplus Equipment Industry be given more serious consideration. After all, a piece of machinery can be reconditioned or transplanted in a fraction of the time required to build it.
