When to upgrade to a larger set up?

[trinacria]

So Im plugging along on my journey to opening up. The local authorities are on board with everything on paper. Investors lining up and I'll likely begin making purchases in a few months... well you get the idea. Now Im not looking to get ahead of myself as Im aways form even getting permitted but I am looking and developing a long term plan. Im curious at which point during your operation did you guys upgrade to a larger still?

I'm sure everyone's answer will vary. Also, Im aware there are numerous factors specific to everyone's operation but I'd appreciate some input from you guys who have upgraded or are in the process of/thinking of upgrading. What criteria did you set/reach for you to pull the trigger or begin thinking about upgrading? With the turnaround time on still construction I'd imagine most people wouldn't wait to be running full time, 5 days a week before upgrading. Or what you? For those curious I'll be starting with a sixty gallon rig. As always thanks for the input everyone.

[TetonDistillery]

If you think you are getting close to maxing out your equipment, you need to be planning months in advance.

A really quick way to lose distributors is to not be able to ship to them when they tell you they need more. They will find another supplier and you will lose your shelf space.

Manufacture and shipping time is typically 90-120 days for a new still.

http://www.tetonvodka.com/page/distillery-equipment

[MG Thermal Consulting]

..And add time (and money) for auxiliaries, like exchangers and chilled water systems if needed. Sometimes there's a lot of back and forth matching up the distillery equipment to the chiller system to minimize equipment cost.