Service In House, On-Site and Remotely

While much of the conversation about Liquid Packaging Solutions revolves around the manufacture of our packaging equipment, we like to remind people that our relationship with our customers does not end at the delivery of the machinery. In addition to designing and building liquid fillers, capping machines and other equipment, LPS also integrates, installs and trains operators on that same equipment. Once the machinery is up and running, anyone packaging a project can tell you that every once in a while, the unexpected occurs. From smooth operation one minute to chaos the next, wear parts, operator error, improper adjustments and a whole host of other causes can lead to packaging line downtime. It is in these moments that the Packaging Specialists in Technical Service at LPS may first be introduced to a company or customer.

Speaking in general terms, LPS offers three different kinds of technical service. The first stage will almost always be remote service. In other words, our technical service department will get on the phone with the packager in an attempt to identify and correct any issues with the machinery. This type of service will usually lead the way for a couple of big reasons. First, nearly 90% of service calls CAN be resolved over the phone, from an incorrect setting to a simple adjustment, the Technical Service Department at LPS has enough experience with packaging equipment to know the most common causes for machine malfunction. Second, a phone call can resolve the issues much more quickly than an in-person service call, and a quicker resolution means less downtime!

Unfortunately, on rare occasions there will occur an issue that is not easily identifiable and the technicians may need to work with a machine. This situation may also arise when new operators must be trained or new bottles, caps or other components are introduced to an existing packaging project. When technicians need to be with the machine, one or two solutions exist. First, LPS technicians may travel to the customer plant, in order to see the equipment perform first hand and better understand the issues present. These visits allow technicians to work first-hand with the equipment as it is being used, and will be used, during production. When training is necessary or new components are introduced, a service call can save downtime by ensuring everything is set up and run in the most efficient manner possible while also answering any questions that may exist about the operation of the equipment.

The final option involves shipping equipment back to the LPS plant to allow technicians to work on the equipment in-house. While these situation are rare, there are some recurring themes where this solution seems to work the best. If a machine needs significant modification for new processes that are being introduced, or if they are being upgraded (from semi-automatic to automatic, for example), it will often be easier to ship the equipment to LPS where all the tools necessary to make such modifications are present. Again, these cases are rare, and will also depend on the type of equipment and modifications to be made, but the option does exist.

Regardless of the type of service necessary, we like to remind both our customers and our potential customers that purchasing equipment from LPS is more the beginning of a relationship than the beginning of a transaction. As we have stated many times in the past, the success of our business depends on the success of our customers businesses, and we will help to ensure that success in as many ways as we can!