Time to weigh-up service cover

Neglecting the service and maintenance of equipment may prove a costly mistake.However,you need to make sure that you're getting value for money.Dave Webb, service director for Avery Weigh- Tronix offers some tips on selecting a service and maintenance provider

Equipment should be regularly serviced and maintained to help prevent downtime. Gambling that breakdowns will not occur is dangerous as any downtime will affect customers, a fact that competitors will be keen to exploit. In addition, an emergency repair is far more expensive than preventative maintenance.

Correctly serviced equipment ensures that your production line runs smoothly and efficiently to make maximum use of resources and give your customer a lean lead-time. Take weighing equipment as an example.

It provides key data on raw materials through to final product. This data needs to be accurate so that you can make informed decisions about process changes and efficiency savings. Service providers should also keep you in touch with the latest technology.

It may be tempting to reduce the service cover on equipment, change service supplier, or even risk a period without cover. This would be a mistake because you chose your service cover to suit your business needs. So, how can you tell whether your service and maintenance agreements are appropriate?

Understanding How well does your service provider understand your business? The provider should tailor the service and maintenance agreement to the needs of your business, not theirs. Factors they should consider include: how is the equipment used, its age, the environmental conditions, and whether heavy-use, corrosion or other factors are a consideration? You may find that the service and maintenance agreement needs to change over time.

Circumstances change and ageing equipment may need more regular checking.

Consider what is included in your service agreement.

How many visits can you expect? Does the agreement cover repairs and parts, or just labour?

Reduce the number of providers Whenever possible reducing the number of service providers will yield efficiency and cost savings. You must check, however, that the service provider has the capability to service other manufacturer's equipment in addition to its own. Ask about the extent of their capability. For example with weighing equipment, can they service all the ancillary equipment, software and computer linked systems? Are the engineers qualified to verify and recalibrate equipment? Check that your supplier holds comprehensive spare parts in stock for their own equipment and for a range of other manufacturers. This means you will not be left waiting for a third party to deliver parts, and maintenance is more likely to be completed in one visit.

Communication Ask how the provider will give you information about servicing. How will you know what has been done and when will they visit you next? At Avery Weigh-Tronix, for example, we are putting agreements and service details on a secure online portal. Our service technicians use palmtop computers. This allows them to collect information about maintenance and service as the work is completed and download the data directly to the secure online portal. By viewing all of this information online you can have instant access to calibration certificates and asset lists, and by tracking breakdown patterns we can help you identify equipment that requires attention.

Resource You need to know what emergency call-out cover you have. Can you get hold of your supplier 24/7? What response do you expect - someone on site within 4h, 8h or next day? For service, size can make a difference. If you have multiple sites you need an organisation that can provide UK coverage with local technicians. Even if this is not the case you must ensure that you can get a service engineer on site when you need them. You should ensure that they spend enough time to complete the job. Ask how many service technicians an organisation has and what cover they have locally. Check what infrastructure and systems they have in place so that they can plan service visits to suit you.

Qualified people Check your provider's technicians are fully trained to do the job. Ask about their training.Where you need specialist service and maintenance, consider the overall package with care and ask searching questions.

You should be aiming for value for money from an organisation that has the resource and technical capability to do the job properly.