Cutting corners doesn't pay
According to some industry experts, a low-grade fender will typically end up costing two or three times that of a well-made system over 20-25 years.
That is why buyers and their consultants need to beware of cost-cutting or corner-cutting measures. Among the main areas they need to scrutinise closely are:
· Reduced or ignored safety factors
· Not fitting chains where there are needed, leaving out adjusters or making them under size
· Using studs to fix PE pads. Studs are cheap but they do not last and are easily dislodged or snapped off
· Using substandard recycled UHMW-PE “cut” with low-density polyethylene
· Whether manufacturers “self certify” and fail to show further proof of testing
· Whether sufficient production control is exhibited in steel fabrications
· Simplistic, cursory or non-engineered panel designs
· Thin steel plate. One expert advises that nothing less than 10 mm should be used for external plates
· Inferior corrosion protection such as poorly applied paint on top of poorly prepared steel
· Passing off lower-grade materials such as 304 stainless for 316 stainless. 304 grade is not recommended for marine use due to severe pitting corrosion, but it is half the price of 316.
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