Packaging
Revamped Krones Life-Cycle Service for enhanced customer-responsiveness
Friday 04. January 2008 - The Life-Cycle Service (LCS) der Krones AG, Neutraubling, Germany, has in recent years been purposefully upgaded and expanded.
Its already been well received by numerous clients worldwide, as evidenced by their extensive use of Krones service support capabilities. With a worldwide service support network, and with a strong regional focus, its continental bases have enabled Krones to create clear preconditions for enhanced close-proximity customer-responsiveness. Life-Cycle Service is thus able to provide the meauingful efficacy its clients rightfully expect.
New services
From the traditional products of service support, spares and handling parts, further products have been created, divided into two categories: Services and Parts&Software. Services, for example, include LCS Maintenance, the preventive maintenance capability. It involves far more than merely replacing wear parts; LCS Maintenance focuses on maximising line lifetimes, and provides the requisite modules for this purpose.
Another segment is LCS Productivity, with a remit to ensure systematic increases in productivity on an existing line. Here, line tuning is used to analyse and objectively assess the production line as a holistic entity, enabling appropriate concepts for eliminating the weak points detected to be formulated, offered and implemented.
The traditional handling parts business has meanwhile evolved into LCS Retrofitting in the Parts&Software operation, where upgrades and handling parts are the salient products. Existing Krones lines can reduce their downtimes at product change-overs by as much as 30 per cent if they are retrofitted with new handling parts, like the Raptec series. Upgrades enable machines and lines purchased many years ago to be brought up to the current state of the art, simplifying operator control and optimising machine efficiencies. In addition to the LCS product range, increasing numbers of LCS symposiums are being held on particular machine categories. These are aimed specifically at clients who actually own these machines, for whom its of interest to find out more about any relevant innovations and technical improvements for their machines and lines.
Rising levels of demand for maintenance agreements
This concept has been validated by the clients response. With an individualised LCS solution, the client gets precisely what he needs. Either he selects and buys the individual products he requires in the usual manner, or he opts for a time-defined package, such as an inspection or maintenance agreement. In particular, the rising level of demand for maintenance agreements reflects a definite trend towards customised solutions, in preference to a predefined package The client (each one of them is unique) is keen to concentrate on his core competence, and for a defined time period transfers a certain part of the responsibility for the line to Krones. The money invested here pays for itself very quickly. In addition, he gains in terms of enhanced planning dependability for his budgeting and higher levels of line availability into the bargain.
Further upgrading of the LCS infrastructure
The secret behind the success of LCS is close-proximity customer-responsiveness. The creation of regional LCS bases enables Krones to satisfy its clients needs within a minimised timeframe. Continental LCS bases have already been successfully installed at company headquarters in Neutraubling for Europe, at the LCS Base Krones Inc. in Franklin/USA for North America, Canada and Central America, in São Paulo for South America, and at Krones Taicang near Shanghai for China and parts of Asia. Others are set to follow. Spare parts production and warehousing, plus handling part supply, are already being assured in the LCS bases. In the future, the primary focus will be on expanding service capabilities and the LCS training centre, enabling Krones to operate more effectively in the region concerned. Rapid-response on-the-spot assistance, the concomitantly rigorous punctuality of deliveries, detailed know-how on the market and clients concerned, sustained personal contact during the utilisation phase are just a few of the advantages, which is why the firm is continuing to invest worldwide in expanding its LCS infrastructure.