As the backbone of electrical power systems, transformers play a crucial role in ensuring reliable energy distribution. However, like all machinery, transformers age and face wear and tear, potentially leading to inefficiencies or failures. Retrofitting and upgrading old transformers offer a cost-effective solution to extend their lifespans, enhance performance, and meet modern standards. This approach helps maintain optimal functionality and supports sustainability efforts by maximizing existing infrastructure use. In this guide, we'll explore the benefits, processes, and considerations involved in retrofitting and upgrading aging transformers to ensure they continue to serve efficiently for years to come. What is Retrofitting a Transformer? Retrofitting a transformer involves updating and enhancing its components … [Read more...] about Retrofitting & Upgrading Old Transformers: Extending Lifespans
Industry News
Manufacturing: Surviving Inflation, Supply Chain and Stock Market Woes
The Oxford English Dictionary defines survival, “as the state of continuing to live or exist, often despite difficulty or danger.” Many manufacturers in the quarters to come may find themselves in a survival state given a combination of sector dependent inflation/deflation, inventory challenges, employment woes, supply chain disruptions and declining consumer demand. And those lucky ones which do emerge partially or fully unscathed would do well to prepare for the worst even if they emerge among the best. Surviving -- let alone thriving -- in this climate will be easier said than done. And it will require looking beyond the headlines. For example, it would be easy to read a popular business newspaper, magazine, or online journal in June of this year, and believe that we were still living through unbridled economic inflation across what … [Read more...] about Manufacturing: Surviving Inflation, Supply Chain and Stock Market Woes
Closing? Setting a Strategy to Sell All Your Inventory at Once
Every year hundreds of small business owners in the USA and Canada are retiring or closing up shop and moving on to the next phase of their life. While many of these businesses are able to sell themselves to a larger company or competitor, or perhaps they have a successor lined up to take the reins. It’s not always clear what happens when there’s no one ready to take over and run your business. This is a much more common problem in the year 2022 than it was 20-30 years ago. The hands on, machinery, manufacturing, “blue collar” type skill set is becoming rarer with each passing year. It’s shocking to see that many of these businesses, while very profitable, end up closing their doors for good when the primary owner retires, but that’s the reality we live in now. So, what do you do with all that machinery and equipment … [Read more...] about Closing? Setting a Strategy to Sell All Your Inventory at Once
10 Must-Have Metalworking Tools
In the dynamic world of metalworking, having the right tools at your disposal can make the difference between a masterful creation and a missed opportunity. From precision machining to intricate hand-craftsmanship, the metalworking industry requires a diverse set of instruments to meet its myriad challenges. For those looking to bolster their collection or dive into the industry, Surplus Record offers a curated selection of quality metalworking equipment, ensuring that you always have access to the best tools for the job. Let's delve into the must-have tools every metalworker should consider. Press Brake The press brake is a pivotal tool in metal fabrication, is specially designed to bend sheet and plate materials with precision. By leveraging its punches and dies, it molds metals into the desired structures necessary for various … [Read more...] about 10 Must-Have Metalworking Tools
The Vanishing Machinist: A Looming Crisis in Machine Shops
When some people (of a certain generation) think of an iconic image of the American manufacturing worker, they conjure up a picture of Rosy the Riveter, that hallmark of WWII who kept US industrial production going when men of the finest generation the world has ever seen went off to defend freedom and liberty for all of mankind. But we would like to propose that just an important an icon of American production, the machinist, deserves a seat with Rosy in the Hall of Fame of manufacturing. And no, we’re not referring to Christian Bale in the namesake psycho-thriller from 2004, but everyday machinists. Once the backbone of the US industrial sector, these skilled workers, masters in the arts of metalworking, machine repair, and maintenance, are gradually fading from the workforce. Machinists are trained, not educated. A machinist … [Read more...] about The Vanishing Machinist: A Looming Crisis in Machine Shops
