Page 27 - PWM2025_February Ebook

TECHNOLOGY REPORT

that a client can purchase as a spare on notify the customer of the issue, preventing further ink wastage”. Service plans bring reduced fees on
site. The operator is provided training Ricoh does see the adoption of AI as crucial for the continued phone support and discounts on opera-
and in the event of a failure, they swap development of its preventative maintenance models. This is tor training as well as on consumable
out the full unit and are back up and run- expected to lead to more automation, “requiring,” as Precious
ning again.” The swapped-out unit can explains, “less time for manual intervention, which could slow hardware components. And impor-
be examined and repaired or replaced at down or halt production processes”. tantly, as van Leeuwen notes, “if a con-
a later point in time when Ricoh next An example of this given is the scheduling of tasks such as clean- verter accidentally damages a critical
attends the site. This is all part of what ing outside of core hours or in production breaks, and completing part, we offer a discount on replace-
Precious describes as “downtime as a tasks without the printer needing to stop, such as registration.
shared responsibility and action” where Similarly, many software upgrades are now delivered as a back- ments”.
failures are seen as inevitable and can be ground operation, without impacting productivity. Overall though, van Leeuwen holds
planned for. the view that “regular maintenance
Digital converting
Getting cover Marco van Leeuwen, service and support director, EU, at intervals give the converter control over
Ricoh, like some other players, offers Domino Printing Sciences thinks that, despite inflationary pres- when downtime will occur.” He adds,
several different service options and pro- sures, maintenance is something that is rarely neglected by print- though, if an engineer is in the area see-
grammes which can, Precious details, in ers. ing another client, “he might drop in to
some instances extend beyond its own “Equipment failure is a converter’s worst nightmare,” he says, check if everything is running well and
equipment. “We offer simple break fix and adds that good “maintenance by in-house staff is just as
solutions aligned to tight SLAs to important – if not more so – than a manufacturer’s service sup- provide guidance where needed”.
bespoke programmes that provide 24/7 port”. In his view, “an operator has a duty of care to their machine Performing upgrades
cover.”
Additionally, as noted earlier, the and needs to use the correct tools and cleaning agents as part of It follows that a machine down for a
company offers self-maintenance the recommended daily and weekly maintenance routine. As to service presents an opportune time to
options where clients train their person- why equipment can sometimes fail, van Leeuwen details that
nel to be able to carry out necessary “there are a multitude of reasons why a digital press may not be perform upgrades to, as van Leeuwen
Keeping the wheels turning break fix operations remotely. But as to and operators don’t need the specialist skills required for running ent’s life easier... and if it is a health and
performing as expected – even if perfectly maintained.”
explains, “fix something or to make a cli-
He explains that while digital printing presses are easy to use
what is bought, considering the com-
mercial necessities, Precious says that
safety requirement the upgrade needs to
more than 95% of clients are covered by
a formal service plan which incorporates a traditional press, they are still sophisticated pieces of equip- be fitted as quickly as possible”.
ment. In particular, he notes that “digital printing presses incor-
callouts to defined SLAs along with all porate many different technologies, from electronics and But of course, as van Leeuwen high-
parts and labour. Most plans are paid mechanics to pneumatics and software – and it’s important to lights, “equipment won’t last forever and
monthly, or quarterly in arrears. ensure that all of these systems work effectively and in harmony once it reaches a certain age, it might
Being pre-emptive with each other”. benefit from proactive upgrades to third-
But there are, van Leeuwen tells, so many variables to consider
Remote diagnostics, and the growing party components to avoid obsolescence
importance of AI is increasingly signifi- with spray of ink droplets and substrate handling to name but two. issues and prolonged downtime at a later
cant for Ricoh. Here Precious explains He worries that those new to digital print “sometimes underesti- stage.” He reminds here that replace-
that in effect this means that the service mate the impact of input file quality and media used”. He advises ment parts may no longer be available in
model is becoming less reactionary and that good high-resolution files and preferred digital media “can
instead, more pre-emptive and proactive make the difference between good print and great print”. the event of a breakdown so “it’s always
when it comes to maintenance. She says To help clients the company offers the Domino Digital good to upgrade to the latest standards to
that “Ricoh’s systems are now equipped Solutions Programme “to support converters in their transition to future-proof”.
to detect errors before they occur, assist digital print with a range of training options”. That said, van Leeuwen says that some
with operator routines, and can now
complete start up routines in advance of Service plans of Domino’s label presses have been in
the operator being on site, which is hav- Most of Domino’s clients have a service plan to budget for and the field for 11 years “for the entire time
ing a significant impact on improving spread the cost of maintenance into monthly payments. As van it has been in the digital printing market
uptime and efficiency.” Leeuwen comments: “It is like buying insurance; you know the – and they are still going strong”. They
She points to one of Ricoh’s remote contract will cost X pounds per year and that’s what you spend on
software solutions, TotalFlow Advisor, do eventually find their way into the
which is used by engineers to assess it.” used market, but van Leeuwen reassures
errors, uptime/downtime and the fre- Domino offers clients several levels of support from simple reg- buyers that the company keeps “an
quency of ink head cleaning. With this ular maintenance contracts, the BasicCare plan, to all-inclusive ample supply of Domino components in
software, she explains that Ricoh engi- plans that cover everything, including call out, parts, and labour – stock”. Even so, he warns that it is hard
neers “can identify if a customer is regu- TotalCare+. Beyond these, van Leeuwen says that packages can
larly using the highest flush level be ‘built to order’ where a number of visits can be specified, and to guarantee availability of ageing third-
frequency, allowing us to immediately whether labour, consumable parts, and printheads are included. party components.

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