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TECHNOLOGY REPORT

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

www.printweekmena.com June 2024 PrintWeek MENA 27