In our personal and professional lives, COVID-19 has meant adapting to a whole new way of life. As we navigate lockdowns and social distancing, the world has turned digital. The ‘New Normal’ has seen us rely on video conferencing and phone calls to be able to operate in our day to day working lives.
Let’s put this in context before we go any further - whilst the tragic toll on all of our lives goes far beyond the inconvenience of being unable to operate in person, it does raise practical concerns for pressroom facilities around the world who still have jobs to print and deadlines to meet. For label and packaging printers especially, the ability to continue operating safely and effectively, whilst minimizing health risks to employees throws up managerial conundrums on a daily basis.
Whilst the world adjusts and settles into the ‘new normal’ plant managers are still looking to invest in new equipment to enhance and speed up their production capacities. However, a new consideration for capital equipment is now the potential risks that installation and maintenance brings to the facility and staff. In the vast majority of print shops especially, strict protocols are in place relating to those entering the workplace and for good reason. Therefore, it is often difficult for suppliers to support their customers within person expertise and on-site repairs.
With this in mind, this has led suppliers to look at ways to support their clients remotely. Here at Alphasonics, we have been supporting our customers both on and off site for decades. In this post, we’re going to take a look at how technological advances and simplicity mean that we can support and protect our customers, without the requirement for site visits.
Installation
The vast majority of Alphasonics system are essentially plug and play devices. Once your device is connected to an electricity supply and (where required) mains water, you can begin using the system to clean aniloxes almost immediately. Included with the system are fully comprehensive instruction manuals and chemical control kits to help get you started.
We have designed the systems to be used at the touch of a button so training is often not required. However, where requested and site visits are not possible, we can carry out training by Video Conference to ensure all staff are confident with the machine’s operation. Upon completion, full certification is also provided, proving the operator’s proficiency and consequently giving them the responsibility to pass on training to other staff members.
Maintenance
To allow easy maintenance we provide you with everything you need to maintain the functionality and working order of your Alphasonics Anilox Cleaner. An easy to use inlet and outlet valve function allows you to drain and fill the tank quickly and efficiently when chemical changes are required. We also provide chemical control kits to ensure that your system’s new tank is ready quickly. Automatic dosing pumps are also available which dose the correct dilution of chemistry to water simultaneously, meaning accuracy and operator safety.
To make sure you get the most out of your chemical supply and to help keep costs down, the system’s consumables such as filters are effortlessly changed or washed for easy replacement meaning cost and safety benefits.
To ensure your new system operates at the best of its ability, we provide you with fully comprehensive instruction documents that allow you to do everything from changing filters to the tuning of ultrasonic generators. The auxiliary equipment options on offer also allows you to tune the systems generators with ease and is recommended to be carried out every 6-8 months.
Repairs and Servicing
Repair and servicing of your Alphasonics Cleaning System is also a task that is easy and manageable for any staff member. The modular nature of our systems means replacing parts that require urgent attention is quick and trouble-free. But if you do need a helping hand, our engineering and maintenance staff are readily available to talk you through it, meaning that 90% of repairs required can be handled in house. All spare parts are kept in stock at our U.K. and U.S. facilities for quick dispatch and all are accompanied by full step-by-step fitting instructions.
Where a major repair or a service is needed, our machines can be easily shipped back to our production facility without the need of an engineer visit. A full diagnostic check will then be carried out and reported back to you prior to any work being completed. Thus, providing clarity and peace of mind. We can even arrange collection and delivery back to you on your behalf!
As the world adjusts to a completely new way of working, we are constantly looking at ways to make life easier for all of our customers. This has been the driving force behind what we do and how we operate as a company, meaning we always provide cost and time saving benefits where we can in terms of project management, installation, technical support and even shipping assistance. With this in mind, we already have one eye on the future.
As per our dedication to research and development, we are currently looking at ways for our systems to be accessed remotely via internet connection. The ability to diagnose, repair and even reprogram a machine from anywhere in the world will save the customer time and expense, whilst increasing efficiency exponentially.
Furthermore, we are also exploring the means to allow maintenance staff at any facility to operate on our behalf through wireless video conferencing, meaning trained staff can monitor and advise on any ongoing maintenance work in real time. We are well underway with these projects and hope to announce the addition of this to our range in the coming months.
We are permanently looking at ways to keep our customers and staff safe during what is the most trying period in modern history. It is down to us to create a working method that is safe, yet seamless until the time comes where the world can return to a real and lasting normality.
