The upkeep and maintenance of measuring instruments is an important, yet often neglected, aspect of plant management. Endress+Hauser's Services Department has the capacity and capability to provide customers with all the support and backup required to prevent unnecessary downtime and costly repairs. The company's services are comprised of many independent, yet interlinked offerings. This article focuses on three of those offerings: commissioning, calibration and (service) contracts.
With correct commissioning, an instrument's performance is optimised from day one. Endress+Hauser offers packaged commissioning solutions that are tailored to meet the client's needs. "We realise that the demands on engineering and maintenance staff are higher than ever before. They are expected to be able to both maintain existing equipment and accommodate the start up of new plants working with new and unfamiliar technology and equipment. "Our Services Department provides assistance and we are able to minimise the time taken to commission, saving clients' costs and resources," explains Grant Joyce, marketing manager, Endress+Hauser.
Endress+Hauser's commissioning incorporates a complete range of tests and checks, ensuring correct operation in accordance to the plant design and production requirements. The testing of all electrical connections verifies operational safety and confirms compliance to EMC regulations. Endress+Hauser's trained staff, armed with all the correct test equipment will train maintenance staff and acquaint them with the correct maintenance needs. Once the work is complete, Endress+Hauser reports back, issuing full documentation detailing equipment set-up and advising on future maintenance requirements.
Another critical aspect of plant optimisation is calibration. Endress+Hauser assesses whether the instrumentation controlling quality critical processes requires calibration, determines if regular checking is required, and establishes if clear and concise calibration certificates are needed.
For a host of practical reasons, which include cost and timesavings, the preferred method of calibration is on-site. Endress+Hauser's trained technicians are on hand to offer full service for all on-site parameters. They are backed by traceable equipment with defined uncertainties, SOPs (standard operational procedures) and calibration management tools. This enables them to deliver the best, most professional service.
The Endress+Hauser Services Department is able to take on the complete management of a customer's re-calibration programme, liaising with the client to ensure that records, certificates and documentation requirements are met. This includes working with auditors to ensure complete compliance.
In cases where on-site calibration is not a practical option, the instrument can be taken to Endress+Hauser's calibration centre, where calibration will be undertaken to the precision required within a guaranteed time frame. According to Joyce, "Our factory calibration offers an unrivalled range of facilities. Our primary laboratories are accredited to ISO 17025 and traceable to national and international standards".
Additional tools available from Endress+Hauser include a Calibration Management Software CompuCal - a high-performance system to efficiently schedule maintenance and calibration of on-site instrumentation, as well as the W@M Web-enabled Asset Management tool that provides business support throughout the device life cycle.
In terms of service contracts, Endress+Hauser's Services Department is able to provide the right level of support for measuring equipment through four distinct levels of service contracts. These being: preventative, extended, total and tailor-made.
With the Preventative Maintenance package, clients receive all the maintenance tasks needed to guarantee optimal instrument performance, and the delivery of documented reports to ensure compliance to audited quality procedures. The Extended Services package delivers the services mentioned above, with the addition of a reliable back-up and instrument operation between preventative maintenance visits. Pre-arranged extra visits for the commissioning of newly contracted equipment are also included at no extra charge. The Total Service offering incorporates all the services covered by the Extended Service package with a few added extras: commissioning, spares and callouts are covered as is the complete control of the user's maintenance budget. Finally, the tailor-made service option offers support services and customised solutions designed to complement customers' internal resources. This includes calibration activities, remote services and maintenance of software updates.
Endress+Hauser is offering a range of extended warranty options in conjunction with services purchased. For more information please contact its Services Department on 0861 363 737.
For more information contact Grant Joyce, Endress+Hauser, 011 262 8000, info@za.endress.com, www.za.endress.com
| Tel: | +27 11 262 8000 |
| Email: | info.za.sc@endress.com |
| www: | www.endress.com |
| Articles: | More information and articles about Endress+Hauser South Africa |
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