A new three-tiered variable speed drives service programme from ABB will help users prevent downtime and production loss.
The three levels of service - DrivesAdvantage ,DrivesActive and DrivesActive+ - enable each customer to choose from a range of services that can be tailored to suit their needs and budget precisely.
Variable speed drives perform critical duties in many industrial processes and companies often pay a high price for breakdowns. ABB’s service portfolio is designed to boost the competitiveness of its customers by improving reliability and eliminating the potential disruption caused by poor drives management.
The aim is to maximise the reliability of each customer’s drives over their entire lifecycle. The portfolio ranges from the installation and commissioning of new drives, through maintenance and spares support during service, to replacing products as they reach the end of their working lives. “The idea is that we never reach the point at which obsolete equipment becomes difficult to support,” says Neil Ritchie, manager of instrumentation and drives products service for ABB. “It’s really a cradle-to-cradle approach.”
DrivesAdvantage completes the offering, providing installation, commissioning, start-up assistance and after-sales service by the certified partners in ABB Drives Alliance. This is the UK’s most comprehensive drives network, with ten partners strategically located around the UK. The members of the team have been handpicked by ABB because they are outstanding drives experts in their local area.
DrivesActive provides 24/7 support with a high level of technical expertise, both over the phone and through a team of ABB engineers held on standby around the UK. The emphasis is on delivering the right level of service for the circumstances. So, for example, urgent repairs may be carried out on-site, while less urgent work may take place at ABB’s workshop. Customers may also opt to implement planned maintenance programmes, to prevent failures occurring in the first place. Spare parts or exchanged drives can often be delivered to site within 24 hours, while the inventory access service allows customers to lease their own customised parts package at a convenient location. The programme can offer scaleable support for customers with only a small number of drives.
DrivesActive+ is an advanced lifecycle management programme that focuses on extending the life of critical equipment and planning for obsolescence. A lifecycle audit highlights the exact condition of equipment. This enables ABB to recommend the right steps to maximise each drive’s reliability, whatever stage it has reached in its lifecycle. Drive systems analysis enables ABB engineers to uncover hidden faults and predict future drive behaviour. DrivesActive+ also includes harmonic surveys to ensure equipment complies with the latest legislation.