At this time of year, as spring sends the sap and the mercury rising, troublesome chillers can cause stress levels to rise with the temperature. 

“At this time of year as it gets warmer we start to get a higher number of calls. We can predict it, even down to the time of day – late afternoon,” says Technotrans UK managing director Peter Benton.  “If the chillers haven’t been cleaned then they get blocked and fail as demand increases with rising temperatures.”

Temperamental chillers are one example of the broader problem of ancillary breakdowns and the resulting lost production and hefty repair bills. In many cases such breakdowns are avoidable if the equipment has been looked after properly. Unfortunately, when tough times hit a few years ago, scheduled service and maintenance were often the first things to be cut to reduce costs.

The implications of those cuts can be severe. On a more positive note though, as the economic situation has improved printers have begun to see the benefits of taking a more pro-active approach to service and maintenance.

“We saw a downturn in service and planned maintenance during the recession,” says Manroland Sheetfed GB managing director Martin Hawley. “Subsequently we are seeing an increase in requests for service and support contracts.” 

It’s something that Benton has also noticed: “In the past couple of years we’ve ramped up everything we do around maintenance and warranty. We have 120 contracts in the UK compared to just 20-30 two years ago, Including other sites under contract from the press vendors. I’d estimate 25% of UK firms have some sort of contract.”

Maintenance focus

There is more than just the easing of company finances behind increased interest in service and maintenance. Increased competition and new ways of operating have also added to the impetus to look after kit better.

“The pressure towards shorter lead times means you can’t afford to have your presses down,” says Craig Inglis, production director at South Glasgow general commercial printer Mackay & Inglis. “You will at the very least wind up with a disappointed customer. While some will be understanding if you have a breakdown, others may need the job in such a hurry they take it elsewhere.”

It’s not just customers who are  getting more demanding. Printers are also asking more of their machines with press consolidation, which can change attitudes to service and maintenance.

“Firms replacing several older machines with a single new one invest more in planned maintenance because they are more dependent on that machine,” says Benton. “They opt for higher level contracts. They don’t see it as a cost if it prevents a breakdown or boosts productivity.”

However, in some instances service can also end up neglected when business booms.

“Maintenance is the first thing to get cut in tough times but it’s also  put to one side in busy times too,” warns Hawley.

The consequences of skimping on service can be severe, impacting productivity and profitability, and will be subject to Murphy’s Law (anything that can go wrong will go wrong) and will add further pressure at an already stressful moment. 

“Invariably an unexpected breakdown will happen at the worst possible time,” says Benton. “And so leads to the pressure to get back in production as quickly as possible, which typically means our engineers working out of hours on overtime to get it back in operation.”

Not only does that increase the cost of an emergency repair, it can also lead to further problems, he adds: “We don’t want our engineers to be rushed as that can cause the situation where they end up creating problems rather than fixing them.”

The financial cost can be significant, and goes beyond the price of the repair itself.

“We have had incidents where lack of maintenance has led to a big repair bill and a lot of downtime,” says Hawley. “You’re talking tens of thousands of pounds and a week out of action.”

Technotrans’ Benton is more specific: “If you don’t keep a heat exchanger clean you risk localised freezing, which will cause it to crack. That’s the worst-case scenario on a sheetfed press. It will cost £4,000-£8,000 to fix without even considering any downtime. On an older unit that could rise to £10,000 or £20,000 and it may need to be rebuilt or replaced, which may take weeks.” 

Factors that contribute to a lack of investment in service and support can be both financial and cultural. It may be necessary for operators up to senior management to rethink their attitudes and assumptions to maintenance and to change the ways in which they work too.

“You often see a beautiful car in a printers’ car park, and you know that as soon as a warning light comes on in that then they’re straight onto the garage, whereas the machinery indoors, the stuff making the money, isn’t lavished with nearly so much attention,” says Benton.

Seen in black and white that looks crazy, even for the most ardent petrol-head. Other reasons for swerving a service may be equally untenable, and one of the biggest reasons is the perceived price.

“Don’t be dismissive before you’ve found out the actual cost,” says Benton. “Customers assume it is far higher than it actually is, which is what’s stopped them. Service costs for our systems vary from a couple of hundred to a few thousand. If you weigh that up against the cost of downtime from not doing it, it’s very competitive.”

Tailored support

One benefit of the recession was that it forced vendors to sharpen their service offerings, including introducing different levels of support and pricing rather than a one-size-fits-all offering. 

“We provide tailor-made packages ranging from a basic inspection with a written report on suggested action through to full support packages,” says Hawley.

That inspection report can help to nip problems in the bud, preventing more expensive and disruptive breakdowns further down the line.

Inglis further recommends tailoring support for different bits of kit.

“Look at the levels of support available and choose depending on the importance of a particular piece of equipment,” he says. “If you depend on a machine then skimping on support is a big risk to take.”

Another development that can cut support costs and improve reliability is remote diagnostics.

“It’s been one of our biggest service take-ups and it’s an invaluable way of offering 24/7 support,” says Hawley. “We can identify the problem and ensure that the engineer arrives with the right parts. It can also identify emerging situations, so we can offer preventative maintenance before they impact production.”

There is another way to reduce breakdowns that is much cheaper and closer to home, which is to stick to the recommended self-maintenance schedules and beyond that do as much as you can internally to keep your kit in tip-top nick.

“Basic housekeeping can prevent problems developing,” says Hawley. “Lubrication is a sometimes overlooked operator task. Without adequate lubrication and cleaning you increase wear and the chance of breakdowns. It’s become an issue as skilled operators have left the industry and companies run very lean.” 

Benton sees a similar situation: “Some customers are scared to open the doors of our units, which is often down to unfamiliarity. It’s another thing where engineer visits help as we can then show the customer how to do things for themselves.”

Inglis is an advocate of getting in the driving seat when it comes to service: “The best thing to do is be pro-active to reduce unscheduled downtime. You can schedule and plan your own maintenance and any vendor servicing on a quieter day that suits you.”

If you need further persuading then the canny Scot has found a further way you can cut costs: “If your insurance company see you’ve got maintenance contracts and carry out regular servicing then they tend to reduce your premiums because you’re less of a risk for loss of business claims.”

The last word goes to Hawley: “Prevention is better than cure. If  you look after your press it will look after you.”