Equipment Appraisal Blog | Understanding Machinery Appraisals

If you are a business owner who has a lot of equipment operating every day from a production perspective, why not consider maxing out its working potential by tapping into its other benefits? Ownership has many perks, including the ability to turn hard-earned equity into cash. Gaining access to working capital will allow you to invest in other areas of your business, such as expanding personnel or buying more machinery to handle growth needs.

Although industrial machinery and heavy equipment (M&E) will depreciate over time, as opposed to land and buildings, they continue to hold significant value through the years, as long as they are well maintained. If you paid cash for them, or your initial loans have been satisfied, even if they are fully depreciated on your books, the actual market value of these assets can be determined and used as the basis for new debt that results in a significant cash infusion for your business.

When you begin working with a bank or other financial institution, take the time to develop a detailed listing of all your M&E, while providing access to your original purchase documentation, if required. The most important data to list out would be the general description year, make, model, and serial number (or VIN) for each item. Specifications such as production capacity, size, length, tonnage, or any important capabilities will be useful.

You and your preferred lending facility can work together to begin the process of developing estimate values for all the M&E while understanding the requirements of getting approved for your working capital loan. Keep in mind the bank is investing in you and your company, while taking a lien against the equipment as collateral, therefore, it will be important for them to become comfortable with the transaction. Most lenders will approve a certain percentage of Fair Market Value or look at more conservative liquidation values as the driver of the loan amount.

An important next step will be to engage with an experienced, accredited machinery and equipment appraiser, who can independently support the value of your assets. They will research the industry and develop opinions of value at various resale levels in the market while utilizing sources who are involved with the sale of new and used machinery. The lender may allow you to arrange for the appraisal directly or prefer to handle it themselves. In either situation, you will need to participate throughout the process, to ensure the appraiser has the optimal amount of information to best understand the history and current status of your M&E.

This type of unbiased report will independently verify a reasonable value for all your M&E, so you can get approved for that working capital loan your company needs to continue to grow and be successful today and for years to come.

The holiday season is usually a relaxing and joyous time for families and friends while providing an opportunity to take a much-needed break from the year-long toil of work and personal responsibilities. As a small business owner, the time off associated with the holidays may be limited, given the need to stay on top of a never-ending to-do list, close the books on the prior year, and plan ahead for another set of challenges as you turn the calendar page to January.

If your business involves running a lot of machinery & equipment, it might make sense to review annual usage and maintenance for your assets and compare with previous periods as well as what was budgeted for the year. Possibly consider making some reinvestments in your older machines or upgrading those that might have new options available, such as computer controls or more efficient process components.

Are you planning to grow the business or make any major internal investments? Consider an accredited equipment appraisal to allow you to leverage the equity available and obtain much-needed capital to get these projects off the ground.

Perhaps you are thinking about bringing in new investors, buying out existing partners, or even considering selling all or a portion of your business. Begin to look at key consultants who can assist in the efforts and provide an independent, unbiased, assessment of the company’s value, and its underlying assets.

Meet with your key employees to bounce ideas off one another based on their own experiences and perspectives, so you can obtain a well-rounded, thoughtful set of suggestions that might make sense to consider in the immediate future.

Every year brings a mix of both excitement and trepidation for most small business owners as they continue to work hard every day to make the most out of their niche in the marketplace and create additional value-added that can separate them from the competition. The earlier you begin to think about and ultimately implement your plans, the better chance you will have of a successful and desirable outcome.

Small business startup companies are popping up all the time, especially in newer industries such as cannabis and green energy, with consistently growing markets in biotech, construction, transportation, and IT. When you are involved in a new business startup, one of the priorities will likely be gaining access to working capital that will allow the business to get off the ground while investing in marketing and product development costs. Prospective investors may not rely solely on growth potential and an aggressive 5-year revenue forecast, therefore, collateralizing your recently acquired machinery and equipment will be your strongest option.

It is important for your startup to have the best, state of the art equipment on hand to begin operations, and whether you’ve already acquired these assets with your own investment funds, or you need the capital to purchase these critical components to your business, it is important to have detailed documentation available, so investors know what they have as tangible security.

Another important step will be to engage with an experienced, accredited machinery & equipment appraiser, who can independently support the value of your assets, on both a current basis and over that 5-year initial business plan you’ve put together. The appraiser will research the industry and develop opinions of value and useful life at various levels of the market while providing sources who are familiar with the manufacturing and resale of these types of machines.

This unbiased report will bolster confidence in any parties interested in taking the ride with you during the initial phases of your startup, including private investors, financial institutions, and your traditional banking relationships. While everyone knows your integrity and prior success in business, they will look to checks and balances with their decision-making, which an independent appraisal and industry review will satisfy.

In summary, ensure you work with an appraiser who has the expertise to provide a reliable, supportable report and takes the time to understand the full perspective of your goals, as you venture forth with your startup business.