It is that time of year again. The weather is getting warmer, the trees are sprouting little green things on the end of the skinny gray sticks, and it is time to look into your inventory for the second half of the year. At Olympic Wire and Equipment, we know that can mean only one thing, the old baler in the corner is going to need a rebuild.

Like a poor, abused animal, your baler sits in the corner, surviving on little or no maintenance whatsoever. Content to barely work when you press the button to smash a load of recyclables. It is high time that 2017 becomes the year your baler gets some love. We just so happen to carry almost everything you need to perform extensive maintenance on your sad, old baler. Let’s face it, when you have an industrial baler, the last thing that receives maintenance in the entire plant is the baler. Which is why so many balers are designed to be pretty bulletproof. But what if, much like Clint Eastwood, your baler is old and has certainly looked better but still keeps performing at a reasonably high level? In that case, you need a maintenance strategy.

At Olympic Wire and Equipment, we offer complete kits and solutions for preventive maintenance and rebuilds. It works much like this, you identify which part you need for your baler, open our amazingly complete catalog and “click” – boom, that's it, parts are on the way. Now, all that is left is to decide what to do while you are waiting for your parts to arrive. The best rule of thumb is to choose an activity that does not take up too much time because we get your parts on their way to you as quick a possible to minimize downtime.

Downtime

Now that your baler is down you probably have some time on your hands, and for any red-blooded working guy, that means one thing… time to goof off. Of course you could be responsible and clean or organize the mop closet but that is just lame. If you have access to the internet, you just might have hit the jackpot and can spend the hours setting up fake dating sites for your single friends. You can also edit that online encyclopedia, adding whatever facts you want!            

Much like the McRib, downtime is a gift and it is important to savor every moment. If you do not have the internet, the best thing you can do is observe your surroundings. Building a fort is always fun and can be a team building exercise. Paper can be used for all sorts of fun things if you work in a recycling plant, printer or something similar. Your options are endless. Endame, the ancient Taiwanese art of paper folding, is incredibly satisfying and if you get good enough, can be profitable. The best thing about downtime is how fondly you remember the shenanigans that occurred during downtime. So remember to enjoy your downtime when ordering parts from Olympic Wire and Equipment because we will get you back up and running as fast as we can.