New Tools Keep Presses Tuned

When it comes to maintenance, the printing industry has a checkered record. While systems engineers can be found on staff at larger operations, methodical programs of preventive service regimens tend to be the exception not the rule, especially in smaller firms. Scheduled maintenance can forestall major breakdowns, but demands for keeping production online, especially during peak delivery periods, find managers pressured to put off maintenance until later.

When “later” arrives, though, that kind of thinking can devastate the bottom line. Putting off regular preventive maintenance can lead not only to major breakdown and days of downtime, but a gradual degradation of quality and efficiency. Regular maintenance makes downtime predictable.

“At least once every three months, you should schedule at least two days downtime on each press for preventive maintenance,” says Peter Schwarz, president of Independent Graphic Services (IGS), West Chicago, IL, which provides technical solutions, press evaluation, service, replacement parts and installation of sheetfed offset presses. Postponing service won't keep productive hours open, he says, but perpetuates instead to a futile game of catch-up.

“After a major failure, bringing a press back up to its original condition and original productivity could cost a huge amount of not only money, but also weeks of downtime.”

As printing presses become increasingly controlled by delicate electronics, they are sophisticated output nodes along integrated electronic workflow. Keeping them up to specification, and in conformance to warranties, increasingly demands using original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, say suppliers.

A study by Heidelberg of its customers found its technicians spend 30% less time on service calls to presses that are maintained according to recommended schedules. And those presses fetch 7% higher resale prices. Heidelberg recommends certain maintenance checks and adjustments daily, others weekly and others monthly, and offers the branded systemservice program for managing this.

“Can you avoid all problems through regular maintenance? No,” says Michael Reschauer, director of systemservice and development at Heidelberg USA. “But you can prevent a lot of issues.”

Manufacturers offer a number of solutions: recommended service instructions, training, telephone help desks. Internet connectivity directly to presses, very common on digital presses, is on the rise for offset machines, imagesetters and finishers. This allows technicians to diagnose and troubleshoot problems remotely.

Also growing in popularity: service programs with scheduled, proactive preventive maintenance for a set fee. Service technicians arrive at predetermined intervals for checks and adjustments to components that tend to need regular attention (grippers, blankets, cylinders, drives). Heidelberg launched its proactive systemservice 36 plus program in 2004. Available for most new models except Quickmasters, it covers shop planning, installation, training, follow-up maintenance, inspection, replacement parts, and software and hardware upgrades for three years.

Under the program, technicians perform maintenance inspections after 10, 20 and 30 months, checking for and correcting potential problems before they cause downtime. They also train operators to conduct daily, weekly and monthly maintenance.

The program is buttressed by an “Intelligent Support Services” global telephone help desk staffed by Heidelberg technicians. Another remote service uses Internet connectivity built into the presses, so service technicians in Kennesaw, GA—or anywhere in the world—can mirror press consoles and diagnose problems. Heidelberg claims it's able to solve 60% to 70% of problems without sending technicians, and it achieves a “first time fix rate” of 90%—problems are solved with the first call to its service department. If possible parts failure is predicted, delivery is scheduled prior to the technician's arrival.

Heidelberg took proactive service a step further last fall with eCall. Presses detecting a need for service display an eCall Alert at the console. The operator can authorize the alert to go to Heidelberg service, transmitting full telemetry about the problem. Service technicians analyze the problem and communicate a solution by telephone. This lets the machine deliver accurate and comprehensive information needed to solve the problem. Now in pilot testing, eCall will roll out worldwide after drupa 2008.

MAN Roland's printservices plan is part of an overall printvalue program It covers installation and 24/7 emergency repairs. MAN Roland offers customized programs, from minimal intervention—where the printer does a great deal of maintenance and the manufacturer's service department only does a regular technical audit of the press's performance and major repairs and overhauls—up to the company providing regular maintenance. The key, says Jon Surch, VP sheetfed service and operations, is a regular maintenance program that identifies and corrects potential problems.

MAN Roland uses Internet connectivity to allow remote diagnosis and advice, and thermographic and vibration analysis diagnostics to find problems before they cause breakdowns. A Web portal, manrolanddirect.com, helps locate spare parts components and consumables quickly.

The KomoriKare service plan covers all needed parts, labor, travel and other costs to keep presses in top condition for the first 18 months after purchase, then scales back slightly for the next 18 months. The program includes customer training for routine, on-site maintenance, “wellness checks” by Komori technicians twice a year, and a technical audit program that not only checks the press remotely, but also helps printers determine whether they're getting the most out of Komori resources and workflows.

Press manufacturer KBA provides customers with tools and know-how to do as much preventive service and regular maintenance as possible. Like other major manufacturers, KBA equips its sheetfed presses with Internet connectivity, allowing its service technicians to remotely monitor and diagnose installed presses.

KBA has service centers in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Jacksonville, FL, and Toronto, and recently opened a service “super-center” in Dallas. Service plans available include training and regular checks. They also have a “Code Red Warehouse” that stocks parts for urgent, press-down situations. Sakurai's customized offering, the Sakurai Security Plan, includes regularly scheduled preventive maintenance suited to the printer's individual needs.

Web press and finishing systems manufacturer Goss offers the Preferred Service Plan. Printers enrolled in it enjoy discounted labor rates and parts orders. Another program, Goss Lifetime Support, focuses on training, enhancement, parts and service.

Another shift is occurring as traditional offset lines run parallel to digital printing operations at the same plant. Contracts from firms like Xerox, HP and Canon traditionally bundle digital presses into all-encompassing leases with supplies, parts and repairs.

Kodak offers a variety of maintenance programs for its many graphic arts platforms, including remote diagnostics for platesetters. For its NexPress and Digimaster equipment, the company uses an “Operator Replaceable Component” program to allow users to handle as much of their own upkeep as possible. The company says it supports other manufacturers' equipment, as well.

Premium Care is available for Presstek's prepress, printing and finishing equipment. Presstek provides all customers with a recommended schedule of daily, weekly and monthly service, and sends a technician for inspection any necessary repairs. The program also includes telephone help support and remote diagnosis through Internet connections to press controls. Presstek expects 75% of the DI presses sold in 2008 will have Premium Care coverage.

Digital printer and copier manufacturers—Kodak, Ricoh, InfoPrint, Xerox, Océ and Canon rely on their own support systems or dealer networks for service, including maintenance. EFI has launched an Enhanced Service Program for its VUTEk wide-format printers (see p.47). The program has three levels, including a proactive, preventive maintenance option. The plan covers parts, labor and travel, as well as operator training.

Hewlett-Packard offers Advanced Maintenance Service program for its DesignJet printers, including three years of labor, parts, travel and materials, and an annual “health check” for cleaning and preventive maintenance. For its industrial Indigo printers, options span the range of full maintenance through shared coverage, in which operators are trained to perform service routines.

Many printers rely on contractors independent of manufacturer to fix their machinery. These tend to be called in to fix problems, but a few, such as IGS, offer long-term service contracts. Founded in 1996 by Peter Schwarz, a former manager with MAN Roland in Germany, IGS provides a range of services, from installation to preventive maintenance to reconditioning to relocation and storage. The company also evaluates presses, make recommendations on upgrades and electronic controls and performs the modifications. “It's important to customize the maintenance program for every printer and every press: Some presses run two million sheets a year, some 25 million,” says Schwarz. IGS has five full-time service staff members and a network or 15 qualified subcontractors across the country, serving a client base from coast to coast and into Canada.

IGS also supplies a range of spare and replacement parts for presses from MAN Roland, Miehle and Planeta, as well as spare and replacement bearings, blanket washers, carriage bars, ceramic rollers, electronic boards, feeder heads, ink slides, and main, step and drive motors. IGS offers a telephone assistance program that often solves problems quickly, and in any case speeds the provision of the right parts and service. IGS also assists its customers in training press crews.