The initiative is tied to the firm's commitment to Vision in Print, through managing director Andreas Schillinger's position as chairman to its sub-committee on maintenance.

The idea is to reduce breakdown by a combination of prevention and training. "The key is that we want to change the attitude of the industry and get people to help themselves," said Muller Martini engineering director Martyn Snoad.

The firm has always offered service contracts, preventative maintenance, health checks, condition monitoring and productivity improvements, but this is the first time it is combining all of the elements into a flexible package, financed either under contract or on  an ad hoc basis.

Training will also be offered as part of SMART.

The firm recently launched a training academy at its base in Iver. It will offer a range of courses from basic operator training to intensive tuition for print firm's own engineers. "If they can flag a problem up either we can do something about it or they can before it becomes big," said Snoad.

Other benefits include the option to install the latest upgrades potentially at a discount. SMART, headed by John Lacy, will also offer ranges of spares to be held on a user's site. "Breakdowns are an impossible thing to plan for, but we are trying to legislate for that," said Snoad.

Muller Martini has sold the first couple of SMART contracts. The plan is to introduce packages organically, to evolve with customers needs.

Story by Darryl Danielli