Enclosure cooling unit manufacturers are similar as they market similar products and generally offer the same features and benefits! Surprisingly, this statement although plausible, conceals a reality of a growing divide between those manufacturers that have embraced the need for change and those that have not.
Change of Culture
How many times do we hear that companies have failed to evolve and develop with the requirements of the markets of today until it was to late? During the late 1990’s we started to experience a cultural drift. Project after project rolled onto the order books, but early into the new millennium the undercurrent of change was beginning to take place and some manufacturers quickly began to feel the need to seek ways to enhance their products. With less investment around, the knock on effect forced users of both enclosures and associated cooling to start to demand added value.
Since 2000, there has been a divide developing between the manufacturers that have evolved with the changing culture and those which have remained stagnant. It is simply no longer competitive to just provide a shop window where users are left to choose their enclosure and cooling requirements. A two way dialogue is now expected to provide the customer with the correct choice of product.
Need for Added Value
When anyone hears the term ‘added value’, do they really appreciate what it suggests? It could be argued that companies seek added value because only so much cost can be taken out of a product before the quality is affected. Where costs across the market are similar, only through added features can the supplier be differentiated and the customer gain real benefit. Of course, this perpetuates right through the supply chain and for the enclosure cooling market; users of cooling technology require supply partners to differentiate using an augmented offer.
Only in the last 3 or 4 years have enclosure cooling unit manufacturers really targeted the goal of providing the Total Service Solution. Due to a lack of emphasis, until recently, service failed to be consulted with any vigour as the industry was guilty of leading customers to believe they needed to look elsewhere for a comprehensive service partner.
The Total Service Solution
When we talk about providing a total service solution it is easy to envisage that it only encompasses such things as warranty, maintenance contracts, breakdown service, and spares. However while these aspects are very important, it is also the approach to doing business that is paramount. For OEMs to be truly service orientated, they needed to discard the structures of yesterday geared solely at selling more products, and instead embrace a culture which enables customers to make a more informed choice. Partnerships depend on two-way communication and the changing approach that provides more emphasis on retaining satisfied customers and exceeding their expectations through the delivery of added value.
By expanding a few of the expectations above we can get a feel for the extent to which OEMs are now changing the way they operate.
The Service Department
It is almost impossible to run a successful OEM business without providing an efficient and well co-ordinated after-service. It is essential customers are assured that when they make an equipment purchase, if that equipment becomes defunct or in need of service the OEM can deliver quickly.
Warranty
Many users of enclosure cooling units export to all corners of the globe and not only require global warranty for their own peace of mind, but more importantly, they require the warranty to be an added value item for their customers. This means that OEMs can no longer offer a warranty of 12 months parts only, as this is simply not competitive and therefore users are encouraged to look elsewhere. To provide added value the following OEM standard warranty can now be found in the industry:
15 months global parts and labour plus 9 months global parts
This effectively means that whereas, in the past, the first 2 or 3 months of a 12 months warranty would often get swallowed up during the user integration, delivery, installation and first ‘turn on’ period, the user is now offered 15 months global parts and labour to offset.
Planned Maintenance
Many users of enclosure cooling units believe planned maintenance is suitable or economic only when the warranty is completed, and others settle for something more reactionary. The truth of the matter is that even where a warranty covers parts and labour (e.g. 15 months), the warranty does not offer a proactive service or indeed a guaranteed response time. In certain industries it would be very costly to have production halted. Larger businesses usually can rely on pools of units that are on less critical equipment but where does this leave the smaller business that sees the purchase of such equipment as a major investment?
Whether a small or large business, in many cases the cost of production downtime justifies choosing a planned OEM maintenance package that offers a minimum guaranteed response, whether 24 or 4 hours. Looking at the bigger picture, the importance of planned maintenance is quickly realised. In short, as production lines are ageing so are their cooling systems, which may have never had a planned maintenance since their first ‘turn-on’. The effect of this strategy leaves the systems extremely worn and very reliant on spares. It can be imagined that in a factory with several production lines where units are working in filthy hot environments on 100% duty, the service required to bring all the units back to health would be very costly if not impossible.
OEM Service – The Benefits
As a customer purchasing enclosure-cooling units, it is reassuring to know that you could also be provided with a service contract that suits your needs and provides the level of service suitable to your solution. It is all to easy to have the local fridge engineer come along and have a play, but often this ends in disaster as he is not experienced with the equipment he is trying to fix. It is more advisable to ask for a planned service agreement, which can be tailored to meet the environment, and can be as cost effective as the local engineer.
Analysis
It is safer to discuss service with the supplier whose service personnel are highly trained and accredited in the product area; can fix up to 98% of problems on site and are able to have spares available on fast lead times from stock, keep a log of your equipment to assess patterns preventing future issues and offer comprehensive service packages. Lastly, in situations where equipment has been located in both the UK and abroad, the suppler can offer a service solution encapsulating all units.