Page 27 - PWM2025_MAY EBOOK

TECHNOLOGY REPORT

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

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