Capital Equipment News July 2019

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP – MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS

Maintenance contracts – Keeping MHE operations running smoothly

Businesses that rely on materials handling equipment (MHE) are well aware that their equipment is vital to their core processes, which is why an ill- timed failure of any lift truck is a cause for concern. Rather than being left to improvise when your mission critical assets are not working when you need them the most, consider taking a maintenance contract agreement with your supplier, provided their aftermarket game is up to scratch. By Darryl Shafto , MD of Goscor Lift Truck Company.

A maintenance contract offers equipment owners the peace of mind they need. Should the unexpected happen with the equipment, there is no fuss about having a technician called out at your expense to have it fixed. You will have the benefit of a routine maintenance schedule, as well as access to emergency repairs. Business owners already have numer- ous tasks competing for their time and at- tention, and remembering when to call for service for their lift trucks probably isn’t high priority on their to-do list. Servicing of equipment isn’t their core either! When you partner with a supplier like Goscor Lift Truck Company (GLTC), your service representative will take care of the busy service work for you and leave you to lead your company. We will keep track of your routine maintenance schedule and make you aware when action is needed. Building a relationship with a supplier that knows your business and is familiar with your equipment is beneficial for both parties. When you have a scheduled maintenance contract, the support team won’t have to waste time learning about your particular operation and needs. They can also acquaint themselves with your business processes beforehand, so they will know exactly what’s particularly crucial for your business. Preventative maintenance For me, a maintenance contract aligns itself to a strong preventative maintenance re- gime, which allows you to identify areas of concern on your equipment and make sure that potential problem areas are attended to before they become major breakdowns. Remember any downtime is money down the drain. At GLTC we offer two different sets

of service agreements – a maintenance contract and a service level agreement. Maintenance contracts are for all equip- ment that is purchased new. If a customer purchases a new lift truck outright, for ex- ample, an option is given to them to take a maintenance contract. For all financed equipment, a maintenance contract is non-negotiable – it’s part of the package. Our service level agreements are of- fered to customers that purchase our used equipment. The service level agreement gives the supplier the preferred rights for parts and labour, among other parameters, and it is run with the same type of sched- uled planning as that of a maintenance contract. A matter of trust However, it’s not just a matter of taking a maintenance contract. It’s also about having trust that the supplier will offer the service they should. Part of it entails knowing whether the supplier’s technical capability is geared to support the type of mainte- nance you want on your mission critical assets. At GLTC, with our on-going training programmes, we have ensured that we have the right skills to meet our customers’ main- tenance needs. Our technicians understand what to do, when to do, and how to do correct maintenance, as well as explaining to the customer which defects should take priority, and at what time. We are also involved with our custom- ers’ load testing programmes of their lift trucks. Load testing is a requirement by law and is supposed to be done every 12 months. The lift truck will undergo an inspection by an independent party, who will check the maintenance that has been done on a particular unit throughout the year, and ensure that it has been done correctly.

Darryl Shafto, MD of GLTC.

When your piece of equipment is under a maintenance contract, this is something you will not worry about. You know that your repair and maintenance will be up to speed. The stipulated periodic service intervals will help improve your preventa- tive maintenance, thereby ensuring that your lift trucks meet the required working conditions every time. Success story GLTC has in excess of 7 000 lift trucks on maintenance contracts nationwide. Every day has been a success story, given the cus- tomer satisfaction, which is demonstrated by repeat business from the same custom- ers, as well as growth in business and ulti- mately market share, which is largely driven by aftersales support. Aftersales service is a major influencer in customers’ buying decisions. Selling world-class equipment is just one piece of the puzzle – customers are looking for reliability. In conclusion, a stringent maintenance regime is of essence. The significance of properly managed and executed repair and maintenance programmes for MHE owners cannot be stressed enough. Many still don’t fully comprehend the vital role this can play in keeping operations running smoothly. Without a maintenance contract, equipment reliability and uptime can be jeopardised. With it, you are guaranteed that the supplier will do your maintenance in line with OEM specifica- tions and factory guidelines. b

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