When buying new machine equipment,key considerations should not only focus on the purchase price,but also on the costs that arise during operation.In certain circumstances it is better to invest in a more expensive machine if this machine realistically has lower operating costs.The management equation known as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO),when applied to the acquisition of investment equipment,helps not only to determine the purchase price,but also takes all costs arising during subsequent use into consideration.These calculations are generally only made in advance or in retrospect.Data will not be available while the operation is still running.