Why service matters just as much as the equipment you buy

When buying a forklift, the decision on what to buy is often influenced by the price. And while this is a valid factor, often the ‘true cost’ of equipment emerges over time once the equipment is in use. And when things go wrong—the likelihood much higher if you’re buying from an independent seller—the impact of a breakdown without proper support can be crippling to your business.

That’s why, when it comes to material handling, choosing the right equipment for your business is only half the equation. The other half, which is often underestimated, is aftersales—the service that follows the sale. Because if a forklift goes down, it can quickly snowball into productivity losses, delayed shipments, and unexpected costs that impact your business’ bottom line.

Linde Material Handling’s Service Experts provide insights on why service support matters beyond the product.

Barry Parks, Service Operations Manager—VIC, puts it simply:

“A major cost to a business when it comes to machinery is uptime or downtime. If you have a piece of equipment from a supplier that isn’t supported in aftersales, then you could be relying on parts coming through from overseas, which, more often than not, can cause delays. If that happens when you have scheduled deliveries, you could face demurrage charges in container handling, delays in transport, and delays in getting product out. These delays hurt your customer base.”

Raffaele Guarascio, Service Operations Manager—NSW, who works closely with customers on long-term service relationships, agrees.

“After you’ve bought your product, it’s the service department that will be managing your account moving forward. So, it’s good to ensure that they:

• Provide a good service,
• Are easily reachable,
• Are willing to partner with you, and
• can keep your products running and maintained adequately to suit your business optimisation.”

And for Stuart Morgan, Service Operations Manager—QLD, the real value of a forklift goes beyond the initial sale, adding that equipment alone won’t carry your business.

“The product is one thing, but the backup to keep it operating at its optimum, including parts availability, technical knowledge, and specialist knowledge, is just as important, if not more so.”

Stuart reinforces the importance of working with a supplier who not only knows their equipment but stands behind it with structured support.

“If you don’t service and maintain your product per the OEM recommendations, you run the risk of reliability and liability issues. That’s why aftersales support is essential.”

What happens when support isn’t there

Barry recalls a situation that’s unfortunately not unique in the industry.

“Not too long ago we had a customer reach out with a forklift that was not supported in Australia. To fix the forklift and make it operational, we had to modify the parts we had available in the Australian market. As can be expected with an unsupported product, the customer faced delays in modifications, delays in planning, and additional costs over and above what it would have cost if it was a reputable supplier truck. It was no surprise that, all-in-all, the customer had a very bad experience due to not partnering with a reliable supplier.”

The real danger? Everything seems fine — until it isn’t.

“Whilst the truck in the first three years of operation didn’t cause him any problems, when it did fail, there was no one that he could rely on and no one that he could call for back up.”

Raff adds that once the support disappears, so does the ability to fix problems quickly.

“There’s no one there that’s coming out with the right tools, parts, speed, and knowledge to be able to rectify the situation. You’re relying on third parties, and it’s not their equipment, so oftentimes they won’t be able to solve the issue as fast as an OEM might. By partnering with an independent seller, you could find yourself in a position where you’re spending more money and time than you need to get the unit back up and running.”

Downtime is more expensive than you think

The real cost of downtime exceeds the cost of the forklift repair itself. Every minute a forklift is down can translate to real financial loss. Barry puts the numbers into perspective:

“We consistently hear that if a unit breaks down, it could cost a company $10,000 to stop a line, or it costs a company $20,000 a day because a forklift is down—the repair cost itself is minimal compared to the overall operational impact. Delaying a truck at $150 or $300 an hour adds up quickly, especially if it happens more than once.”

And without backup support?

“It’s just delays, and delays to any business equals money,” says Stuart.

When your provider lacks the infrastructure to provide back up when it matters most, the consequences snowball fast.

“Multiply that by the lack of a service network or spare parts, and the risks increase—especially with an independent seller. You’re not just buying a forklift, you’re investing in the support network behind it: sales, service, spare parts, STR equipment backup and everything in between that ensures you get the best service when you need it.”

OEM-backed service networks don’t just fix problems—they help prevent them from becoming major disruptions.

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