Service contracts: Clarity in case of troubles and breakdowns

The cast, sheet, and extrusion coating lines from Reifenhäuser's Cast Sheet Coating (CSC) business unit are designed to handle continuous production processes reliably and efficiently. But what happens if, for example, problems occur with the control unit or a malfunction affects the system performance? Even then, Reifenhäuser CSC customers are on the safe side. ‘If you contact us, we will of course help you,’ emphasises Markus Schroeder, Head of Services. ‘However, it is advantageous for both sides if service contracts with specific service level agreements (SLAs) have been agreed in advance.’ These include, for example, specific response times or fixed support quotas.

Reifenhäuser CSC offers its customers various service contracts with firmly agreed SLAs.

Reifenhäuser service levels:
Choose the level that meets your requirements.

	Single Service	Basic	Professional	Professional Plus	Premium
E-mail and telephone support for electrical / electronic as well as mechanical failures	x	x	x	x	x
Advice on plant operation and questions on machine understanding	x	x	x	x	x
Process engineering support by RDC experts	x		x	x	x
Remote access support for elecrical / electronic as well as mechanical faults			x	x	x
Reifenhäuser Visual Assistance Support				x	x
Priority access to Reifenhäuser service					x
24/7 accessibility via the Service Management System (Details according to performance description)

A service contract with specific SLAs is a mutual agreement that guarantees the customer prompt and professional support when needed. The exact nature of this can be determined either on the basis of a standardised service contract or an individually agreed one. This always includes a guaranteed response time from Reifenhäuser CSC. Service contracts can also be extended as required. The type of support (telephone, video telephony, remote access, service technician deployment) is regulated in the same way as the delivery of spare parts and regular fitness checks and performance audits. These support the user in optimising the operation of the system for the respective application.

Convenient remote access has proven its worth

‘The most popular service contract is our ‘RDC Professional’,’ says Schroeder, ’It stipulates, for example, that we access the machine remotely and via a VPN tunnel when servicing is required.’ Telephone-only support can also be arranged, with Schroeder pointing out that more than 95 per cent of all service contracts concluded now include remote access. ‘With good reason,’ as Schroeder knows. ‘After all, we can now identify more than 90 per cent of all electronic problems via remote access.’ The problem can often be solved directly via remote access. Otherwise, the Reifenhäuser experts can recommend a course of action to the customer or send the necessary spare parts on their way.

For which companies is the conclusion of a service contract particularly suitable?

1. Only one system

Customers with only one extrusion line are highly dependent on its function and performance. If it is down, no other machine can step in, which may jeopardise the success of the business.

2. No in-house maintenance team

Customers who do not have their own or only a small maintenance team could be overwhelmed by the task of repairing complex extrusion systems. They lack the important experience required to solve the problem themselves.

3. Long distances

Manufacturers with sites in different countries benefit in particular from service contracts that include remote access to the systems. Problems can often already be solved in this way and service technicians do not have to be sent out in the first place.

‘With our service contracts, we ensure that our customers are heard, understood and professionally supported in a situation that is unpleasant for them.’

Markus Schroeder

Head of Services