Meaning it has effectively become gold
dust. The downtime money clock keeps
ticking. You weigh up your single option.
Click. Buy. Ouch.
Somewhere in the multiverse, another
version of you has the exact same problem.
In his universe though, there is no Google.
So he picks up the phone and calls a trusted
spare parts supplier. They talk briefly about
the weather and the stresses of downtime.
Then the supplier asks him a few questions
back.
Can you describe the fault? What is the
machine? What is the issue? What make and
model of PLC or drive is showing the fault?
The multiverse you does not mutter about
wasted time and demand an engineer be
despatched immediately because every
second of downtime is costing him money.
He patiently goes away to find the details,
in the full understanding that finding this
information now means the engineer can
come to site with the correct equipment,
the correct manuals, the correct laptop if
necessary, with the correct software and
cables, perhaps a replacement unit if it is
appropriate. Spending five minutes getting
accurate information now could save hours
of downtime through driving back and forth
or unnecessary fault finding.
The multi-universe you also takes the same
attitude to purchasing spare parts. With no
Google to consult, he has learnt not only
to call with his requirements, but also not
just to ‘check stock on an item’. Instead he
explains what machine he needs to keep
running. He may have an item in mind,
but he is open to options. He has found
taking five minutes to have a chat about
the problem, or potential problem, can save
a huge amount of time, and money, when
problems strike.
The supplier explains to him that, with over
30 years’ experience finding solutions to
breakdown problems, there is not much
they haven’t seen. And, although their
website can suggest replacement products
for obsolete equipment, it is no substitute
for talking a problem through to find the
solution.
Inverter faulty? He says. We may not have
the exact model number but maybe we
have a higher kw rating in the same frame
size. PLC problem? Maybe we have the
exact CPU or maybe we have one with more
memory. Maybe we have your exact HMI but
it is under a different part number because
it has a different colour bezel or has a plain
membrane instead of a branded one.
All of these are drop-in solutions, not
complicated retrofits. They are all things
they come across on a regular basis, and
they are all things a website cannot tell you,
because the scenario planning would just to
be too vast to make it functional. It is easy to
rely on the speed at which technology can
give us an absolute answer, but from time to
time, having a conversation with someone
who knows a guy who knows a guy can be
the quickest or even the only way to solve a
problem.
So, even in a Google universe, breaking the
norm and picking up the phone and taking
a few minutes to talk, will actually get the
job done faster.
www.nicontrols.com
Issue 38 PECM
33