Product category:
Machining centres - all types
News Release from: CNC Machine Tools | Subject: Machine tool service
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 29 April 2004
Machine tool service has to be memorable
"Providing a memorable service experience is crucial to customer satisfaction and the development of long term relationships," says Paul Lee, Managing Director, CNC Machine Tools.
"Providing a memorable service experience is crucial to customer satisfaction and the development of long term relationships," says Paul Lee, Managing Director, CNC Machine Tools 'We try very hard to look at the service we provide, from the customers point of view, says Paul Lee, we believe there are important criteria that, between them, cover the whole service experience from the customer's perspective.' How reliable is the service? Are all the elements of the service performed and are they delivered to the expected standard? Does the service provider have credibility? Are they trustworthy and believable? Do they give guarantees with the work and do they seem to treat the customer fairly? Is the customer protected from risk and doubt? Does any insurance policy cover all-important eventualities? Does the service provider make an effort to understand and adapt to the customers needs and wants
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 26 Apr 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Mill-turning centre has horizontal/vertical axis
Mill-turning centre has three distinct modules all in one machine; a turning unit with horizontal axis, a turning unit with vertical axis and a multi-purpose head with a swivelling B axis.
Higher speed VMC offers expanded capacity
Increased axis travels to X 1850mm Y 700mm and Z 480mm feature a moving column design machining centre that offers a 12,000 or 24,000 rpm spindle.
Is the service provider quick to respond to the customer? Can a service engineer visit when needed and are customer problems dealt with quickly and efficiently? Is the service staff polite, friendly and considerate, do they show good manners, do they treat the customer's premises with proper respect? Is staff suitably trained and able to deliver the service properly? Do they fully understand the client's applications and are they completely up to date with the machines features and characteristics? Are they able to carry out efficient and effective diagnostics in order to get the machine back in production quickly? Does service staff listen to customers and take time to explain things to them understandably? Do they seem sympathetic to customer problems and try to suggest appropriate solutions? "Our motto at CNC Machine Tools is 'First for Service'," says Lee.
"We are a very much a people business and the customers positive impression of our engineer on site is essential.
Despite the fact that we have developed a range of engineering support services for CNC machine tool users, the attitude of the person on site is a critical part of our continued success.
Further reading
Long X-axis VMC allows pendular machining cycles
Designed to allow a non-stop manufacturing system that eliminates idle time, a VMC with a long X-axis, is equipped with a partition, which allows pendular machining.
High speed machining VMC maximises productivity
High chip removal, high speed machining and quick set up and change over times of a 1.8m X-axis VMC give maximum productivity and at the same time deliver very high machining accuracy.
Travelling column VMC has dual-pallet indexing
Vertical machining centre with a travelling column design and integrated rotary dual-pallet indexing system provides higher levels of productivity and output and efficient workpiece loading/unloading.
We work hard as a team to ensure that the appearance of our staff inspires confidence in the customer, the service engineer has all the appropriate equipment available to do the job quickly and properly.
This ensures that our standards are kept to the highest levels." For over ten years CNC Machine Tools has worked with customers from OEMs to sub-contractors across a wide range of industry sectors including automotive, aerospace, mould and die, general mechanical engineering and their associated supply chains.
Consequently they have a wealth of experience and understanding of the manufacturing needs of their customers and markets.
From its early days the company realised that it played a crucial role in helping its customers retain their competitiveness and focused all their efforts on initially responding quickly to their needs, diagnosing and resolving machine tool faults efficiently and effectively and putting in place preventative maintenance measures to ensure, where possible, future control over machine tool up time availability.
"However the various characteristics of delivering service creates real challenges for us as providers" says Lee.
"Because no goods exchange hands it is crucial that the service experience is a memorable one for the right reasons, particularly to encourage repeat business.
In addition, because a service cannot be manufactured and stored, we must be able to cope with unpredictability of demand and still provide a consistently high standard of service." At CNC Machine Tool they recognise the characteristics of good service and to help them to build and maintain their competitive advantage they approach it in their own innovative way, by concentrating on developing their; * People, through their technical, communication and presentation skills.
* Operating processes, which take the customer from the initial enquiry, through ordering to the delivery of the service and ongoing support, using a strategy of continuous improvement.
* Physical evidence, the tangible cues that support the main service, such as the appearance of the staff and the need for them to use the most up to date equipment.
What this means to the customer, whether it be an emergency call out, a pre-planned service, a machine tool retrofit or a complete machine tool strip down and rebuild, is that the work is carried out efficiently and effectively giving the customer back the use of his valuable asset, whilst acting in a totally professional, courteous and customer focused way, at all times.
One customer is the world's number one Split Bearing Company, Cooper Roller Bearings Co.
Critical to Cooper is being able to consistently develop and support their lean manufacturing methods.
The maximum uptime availability of their production line CNC machine tools is essential.
With CNC Machine Tools as their outsourced Engineering Services Support Partner they are able to guarantee uptime availability and their customers can be assured of the 'Just in Time' availability of their wide range of products.
"CNC Machine Tools Limited have made a real measurable difference to our business," says Pat Smith, Director of Operations.
"With their support we have considerably increased the uptime availability of our CNC machine tools, they are a true partner in the way they work with us" It also means planning service capacity at all times particularly with regard to the range of service and backup products they have developed and offer the market.
In addition to their team of in-house CNC System, Applications and Service Engineers, they also have Service Engineers working on rebuilds who are available to visit customers on site, as well as a national network of contract Service Engineers.
Another customer, AEW - Thurne, based in Norfolk, is a leading global player in the design and manufacturer of innovative food processing equipment and systems.
Their customers very often demand unique and innovate solutions to food processing applications within relatively short timescales.
Consequently work in progress and inventory are not an issue, however production equipment availability uptime is crucial to enable them to respond to the needs of their customers.
"CNC Machine Tools are a real partner," says Darren Osborne, Production Manager, "They are always contactable and available to ensure that our production machine tools are capable of enabling us to meet the needs of our global customers.
They provide a critical service that helps us to maintain our competitive advantage.
They have done this by getting to know us, the way we operate and fully understanding what really drives our business success.
I am very happy to trust them with the responsibility of ensuring that our machine tools are able to cope with the demands of production." CNC Machine Tools also provide a consistent approach to dealing with customers through out the buying process, from initial enquiry and contact, through delivery and after sales follow up, by employing customer facing personnel with the necessary range of both technical and communication skills BSP Engineering, based in Suffolk, are an engineering sub-contractor whose national and international customers expect a very fast turnaround, from initial enquiry to the finished components and at the same time demand very strict quality control standards, delivery schedules and pricing constraints.
'We are passionate about providing service excellence to our customers, however we can only provide it if our key partners support us with the same amount of passion and CNC Machine Tools do just that.
In fact I see them as our outsourced maintenance department.
Their response is excellent and their customer communications are very good, very often they will resolve a matter over the telephone, if appropriate, which saves a lot of time and money." says Stuart Cooper, General Manager, BSP Engineering Limited Driven by the demands of their own customers CNC Machine Tool has developed what it believes to be a critical mass of Engineering Support Services, including: * Scheduled Service Contracts.
* Emergency Call Out Services.
* Spare Parts Service.
* CNC Machine Tool Rebuild Services.
* Full CNC Programming and Applications Training Services.
* Factory Logistics Support including Machine Tool Relocation Services and DNC Networking.
* Lloyds Backed Insurance Policies covering Downtime Guarantees and Operator Error.
* CNC Machine Tool Finance Packages.
Finally to cope with the unpredictability of demand CNC Machine Tools have implemented BS EN ISO 9001:2000 (as applicable to the provision of service, maintenance and the supply of CNC machine tools and ancillary equipment) and focus on operating systems, procedures and staff training to ensure consistency.
All their staff knows what is expected of them in terms of the desired level of service, compliance with procedures, staff attitudes and the manner in, which they deal with customers.
"Working in partnership with our customers is crucial to maintaining profitability, for both parties, in today's fast moving and extremely competitive world of engineering manufacturing," says Lee.
"At CNC Machine Tools true partnership means helping our customers with their short term operational needs, as well as working with them to plan for the future to ensure they are able to exploit opportunities as they arise." Recently in support of their motto and in response to their customers' demands, the company has launched a new CNC Machine tool sales division, initially handling the Eikon range of high productivity vertical machining centres, for which they have exclusive UK distribution rights.
Their first sale, at a recent open house launch event was to an existing services customer, Warren Services.
Although impressed with the Eikon machine tools' performance and the potential benefits of one machine being able to do the job of two conventional CNC machines, Warren Services' managing director, Will Bridgman, admits: "The support CNC Machine Tools has provided us over the years for their existing machine tools proved a major influencing factor." "Thus proving that, providing a memorable service experience is crucial to customer satisfaction and the development of long term relationships," says Paul Lee.
CNC Machine Tools Limited, CNC Machine Tool Service and Support and the Importance of Providing a Memorable Service 4.
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