More service and revenue with digitized after-sales

Keeping spare parts in stock, troubleshooting during customer appointments, updating thick catalogs by hand time and time again – in the eyes of many manufacturers, after-sales was more of a necessary evil than an opportunity to increase sales for many years. Particularly in machine and plant construction for industry, where no two systems are ever the same, the search for the fault – and the right spare part for the solution – can take a lot of time and effort.

In addition, technical defects in large industrial machines can quickly cause significant production losses. Traditional maintenance methods are often reactive and time-consuming, leading to long downtimes and high costs. Logistics and spare parts management are also becoming more challenging. It is often difficult to provide the right spare parts quickly, which further increases repair times.
The growing cost pressure on manufacturers and their customers and the increasing shortage of skilled workers along the entire value chain are creating additional challenges for producers. The high complexity of machines and systems in particular makes continuous and qualified maintenance indispensable.

Simple collaboration through intelligent systems

Rescue is near, and it consists of ones and zeros: digitalization is the key to efficient after-sales service that satisfies the needs of customers and at the same time simplifies the processes of machine and plant manufacturers. With holistic systems in which data is available across all players without media disruptions, added value can even be generated and – particularly relevant for manufacturers – sales can be increased.

With a digital platform for after-sales service, all information is stored in one place and interconnected. Machines, plants and systems are extensively networked in this way. This not only enables intelligent, predictive parts and maintenance management. The processing and ordering processes are also carried out digitally – lengthy phone calls, spreadsheets sent back and forth or even orders by fax are now a thing of the past.

Avoiding media disruptions leads to consistent traceability of all parts and enables communication in real time. In addition to after-sales service, other areas of the company also benefit from this: digitalization in after-sales enables immediate customer support via remote diagnosis and remote maintenance. The knowledge and data from technical documentation and editing are freed from their silos and are available to all relevant players in the company.

One example of how such systems look and function is Quanos SIS.one. In the service information system, all information relevant to service is digitally stored centrally and intelligently networked. This includes, for example, spare parts catalogs in 2D and 3D, parts lists, customer-specific prices, availability data, technical documentation, circuit diagrams, pneumatic diagrams and repair instructions.

Networked knowledge that everyone can use

The core idea is what the provider describes as a “single source of truth”: Even without an integrated information system, machine and plant manufacturers have an enormous amount of knowledge at their disposal. Historically, however, all departments from development to sales and after-sales to technical documentation have often maintained their own systems for decades, which run separately from each other. An information system in which all departments work together replaces this confusion and enables simple, centralized access to all relevant information.

In practical terms, for example, this means that repair and maintenance work can be prepared much more easily: Ideally, the service technicians already have the right spare or wear parts available at the first appointment, so that no second appointment is necessary. Machine and plant manufacturers who make spare parts available in an online catalog and link this to the service information system even enable their customers to order spare parts independently and without the support of the service hotline.

This creates additional arguments for manufacturers, as many customers from the B2C sector have long been accustomed to ordering products conveniently on their computer or smartphone. The expectation is gradually emerging that this simple way of ordering will also be made possible in the B2B sector. And those who can easily and conveniently order original wear parts directly from the manufacturer are also less inclined to order goods from third-party suppliers.

Similar offerings from other companies show that after-sales and service are ready for a single source of truth. gds and kothes also offer purely digital solutions for technical documentation with an editorial system. And with Cideon, a provider is entering the field that should be well known to machine and plant manufacturers: As part of the Friedhelm Loh Group, the software specialist develops solutions that connect a wide variety of data sources, from SAP and Eplan to AutoCAD, so that data is always consistent and available.

Machines and systems could become a service

The potential of digitalization in after-sales is huge. In the long term, a service information system even facilitates the transition to “Everything as a Service” models (XaaS): instead of selling a machine or system, only its performance is made available. This business model simplifies operations for customers, making them more flexible and enabling rapid production changeovers. For providers of machine and system performance, it opens up new, long-term sources of revenue and intensive customer loyalty.
Machines and systems for industry will remain complex, individual and demanding in the future. However, digitalization enables manufacturers and operators to master this complexity – and even use it to their advantage.