Protecting your craft beverage equipment

Equipment breakdown coverage can protect your business
from the financial impact of an equipment loss.

While means and methods will vary, one item that all craft beverage manufacturers share is dependence on their equipment. That’s why it’s important to make sure you include equipment breakdown coverage as part of your insurance portfolio if you’re a craft brewer, distiller or winery
owner. Read more of this post

Whether a piece of metal gets into your grain and badly damages the rollers in your mill, a gear in your bottling line suddenly breaks, shutting down production, or something as simple as routine breakdown of a water heater or air conditioner occurs, Equipment Breakdown coverage protects your finances against breakdowns that are sudden and accidental.

‘Small’ equipment loss can be a big thing

Posted on March 11, 2014

A small business may depend on equipment such as a cooler for flowers.

When you hear machinery and equipment discussed as an available insurance coverage, you may envision huge mechanical or electrical apparatus associated with large-scale operations or massive production floors.

You may conclude that your family-run flower shop or small- to medium-sized business doesn’t need this type of coverage.

Remember that insurance is about protecting your business from loss, and loss must be considered in the context of your individual situation.

• An unexpected mechanical failure of a small refrigeration system component at an inconvenient time – for example, the day before Mother’s Day if you run a flower shop – may result in several thousand dollars of lost stock. Repair bills could be catastrophic for your business. In financially tough times, the expense may even threaten your ability to stay in business.
• A power surge could destroy or damage the new – but just out of warranty – phone system or computer servers upon which your accounting business depends.

By comparison, a large business may be able to absorb an equipment-related loss of several hundred thousand dollars with nothing more than a few budget adjustments.

So, who has the greatest machinery and equipment loss exposure?

When you consider that mechanical breakdown is much more likely than a major fire loss, doesn’t it make sense to consider purchasing mechanical breakdown coverage for your business – no matter the size?

The good news: it’s easy and convenient. Coverage can be added through endorsement to your existing commercial policy or, if you prefer, through purchase of a separate policy.

Call us and we can help you to determine the type and amount of coverage that’s right for your situation.

John Jacquat: (303) 843-1001

Submitted by Wayne Pinney

Is your business protected from hail?

Hail can cause significant damage, severely disrupting
your business and costing you time, money or even
customers, without adequate protection or insurance.

Most areas of the country experience hail storms that can cause significant damage to rooftop equipment, severely disrupting your business and costing you time, money or even customers.

A major hail storm can severely damage fins on your heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, rendering it inoperable. That may affect your operations or cause you to cancel functions.

You can take a few steps to help keep your business running smoothly and avoid down time by protecting the equipment that keeps your customers and employees comfortable.

Hail guards serve as a protective shield for your valuable heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, as well as roof vents and cooling equipment, which are highly susceptible to hail damage. Large hail can severely damage a unit, but small pellets can cause harm as well. Condenser coil damage, not noticed or addressed, affects the coil’s efficiency, increases your costs and shortens the useful life expectancy of your equipment.

Hail guards come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but most meet the needs for common equipment such as fans, air conditioners, condenser units, heaters and skylights. Many contractors offer customized options for hard-to-protect items. Look online for hail guards to find more information, resources and various types of guards.

When purchasing hail guards, consider ones that are:

• strong enough to resist hail
• porous enough to allow sufficient and unrestricted air flow
• close enough to the unit to obstruct hail that strikes the roof and bounces up to the unit
• equipped with taut mesh/fabric guards that have sufficient clearance from louvers or fins to prevent hail from deflecting into the fins

In most cases, hail guards warrant the investment when you consider the widespread frequency of hail storms and the relatively low cost of the guards compared to the down time, efficiency and shortened life or replacement of your valuable HVAC equipment. Contact your HVAC contractor or equipment manufacturer for more solutions to protect your valuable equipment and keep your business in business.

Submitted by Scott Robinson and Stephen Dale