Personal service
July 1st 2004

Bosch Rexroths newly launched Service Automation business unit aims to provide end users with a single point of contact backed with cross-technological competence. Ian Clay, IP&Es editor met with Dave Waldron, divisional manager of the new entity to discuss how this unit will operate and the benefits that it will provide

Officially launched on the 1st January 2003, the Service Automation business unit of Bosch Rexroth Services (BRS) spent the first year of its life getting organised internally and has only recently raised its head above the parapet, but is now looking to make itself known to a wider audience. What the unit offers is service from a single source through a single contact.

Service Automation unites customer service and training activities spanning Rexroths technological divisions: industrial hydraulics; electric drives and controls; linear motion and assembly technologies as well as pneumatics. With the creation of the Service Automation business unit the company has united its range of services over the entire spectrum of factory and industrial automation under a single organisational entity. The division is separated into five basic branches: Field service; Repair service; Spare parts service; Retrofit/Modernisation; Didactic.

Field Service

This branch offers expert installation work from the pipework and equipment set-up through to electrical connection. Users can hand responsibility for the entire process over to Rexroth's field service engineers who offer on-site support for commissioning, application problems, troubleshooting and remedy of faults. However, the distinction is made by Dave Waldron that while Rexroth does offer outsourced maintenance or facility management, This is only in the top end technology bracket, we are not about changing toilet rolls or light bulbs.

Repair Service

All repairs and overhauls use original spare parts to DIN ISO 9001 certification. Prior to delivery, the products are tested and reset in line with the original specification. On completion of repair and servicing work, all components are issued with a new part warranty. Should a repair no longer be economically viable, Rexroth will work with the end user in working out the best alternative solution. This service is a key part of the new business unit and Dave Waldron is very aware that time is of the essence when it comes to equipment repair. Dave is keen to highlight the flexibility of the service offered by Bosch Rexroth. The average time from receiving

a call to an engineer being on site is 23 hours says Dave but if it is imperative that a repair needs to be completed quickly then this can be done. The same too with an upgrade which typically will be turned around in four to six days. Also, time to quote is less than 24 hours.

Spare Parts Service

To allow optimum response times, Rexroth has collated many of the most commonly required and necessary spare parts in the form of complete repair kits. The ready-assembled spare part kits form a constituent part of the stock and can be dispatched immediately as required. This reduces the logistical effort required from end users, as instead of a wide selection of spares, only one item needs to be managed. Plus a full set of documentation is sent out with every kit enhancing the functional and utilisation value of the products.

Retrofit/Modernisation

To allow users to continue to use their equipment in the face of capacity increases, legal stipulations and environmental requirements Rexroth will refit your machine to work with the latest drive systems and controls. New drive units ensure reliable, economical operation of equipment and with a new control system, the functional features of discontinued control and product families can be implemented with relative simplicity.

Didactic

In order to get the best out of their products Rexroth offers a comprehensive training program for both machine manufacturers and machine users. The companys training education services include: product support training; system support training; training rigs; in-house or on-site training courses; external repair support training; remote and interactive training. Rexroth has two trainers at present offering training on all products from machine tool presses to robotics. Part of the investment plans will see the number of training personnel increased.

The five branches of the Service Automation business unit are all co-ordinated through Bosch Rexroths helpdesk at Cirencester and the newly opened (July 1st 2004) helpdesk at St. Neots. Through these facilities and its OEhubs in Cardiff, Leicester and Leeds the company can service its business in the UK. The establishment of a new helpdesk in St.Neots is just one example of the investment and restructuring that Bosch Rexroth has gone through in order to offer the new services to the end user. The helpdesks in the UK operate from 8am to 6pm with coverage available until 10pm. After this time, and emphasising the fact that Bosch Rexroth is a global company, then helpdesk support transfers to relevant time zones be that the USA, India or Hong Kong. Dave Waldron cited a recent example whereby a problem on a machine located in the North of England was actually detected in the USA during the night and the operator was alerted via e-mail. It is from this help desk that the process begins as the appropriately skilled staff can guide the user and identify their needs, be that setting up an appointment for an engineer, handling a technical query or helping order spares or providing accurate pricing information. The help desk will also identify opportunities for user training.

Another example of the companys investment in its Service Automation business unit is its investment in engineers. Of the 70 people currently employed by the division 58 are engineers with this projected to grow to 76 in 2005 and 90 by 2008. Dave speaks particularly of the companys High content of engineering excellence with less internal people being recruited than external engineers. This investment in engineers and engineering knowledge Dave states is a reflection of the market conditions. He says As technical knowledge declines so the demands on the supplier/ service provider get greater. We want to be able to offer superior service. And not just after-sales service but from an initial contact all the way through the process. Our ambition is to continue that superior level so that users want to come back.

The overall premise of the Service Automation division is based around treating each end user as an individual, and specifically tailoring Bosch Rexroths product and service offering to furnish their requirements. This flexibility would traditionally be seen as an area of weakness for a global corporation such as Rexroth but Dave Waldron turns this argument on its head believing that it is because of the large, global nature of Rexroth , and its huge range of products services and industry sector expertise that it can be this flexible. One example Dave states is that when an engineer encounters a problem in the field he is able to choose from a whole range of solutions be they hydraulic or pneumatic. The field service engineer can provide the best possible solution rather than just the sole vendor solution. As Dave maintains, the new business unit is looking to offer a holistic approach where end users feel that Rexroth is helping them with their business by bringing all their expertise and experience when helping them with a

particular problem. This

type of individual attention

is obviously going to generate a huge amount of information if each customers specific requirements are to be accurately logged, but Dave is adamant that Rexroth is a large enough organisation and possesses the logistical cohesion to smoothly service user demands.

As was stated earlier the profile of the Service Automation business unit is to increase as the company is now undertaking a campaign of user education via trade shows, customer information literature and the internet. There are also exciting developments in the pipeline that will help develop the division, from a single helpdesk number (due to be launched in 2005) to the addition of more automated services. Dave envisages a situation where customers equipment is remotely condition monitored and the data generated is gathered and analysed by Rexroth. This service will provide end users with the advantage of early indication if there is a problem with their process, as the recorded unique value for a particular piece of equipment will change, generating an alert. This increase in automation Dave says could lead to a situation where there is no longer a need for post-production quality measurement system, a change that could potentially save users a great deal of money. The customer dictates what he/she is looking for intones Dave Waldron, with the launch of the Service Automation division we will be able to provide the end user with a personalised service from a single source, that in turn will help our product division retain them as a customer.

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