Sidel, the leading global provider of PET solutions for liquid packaging, has rolled out a new spare parts service that aims to lower costs for beverage producers by encouraging them to take a more proactive approach to parts inventory management.
Realising the need for timely provision of original spare parts, whether for emergencies or normal wear and tear, Sidel is aiming to encourage a more proactive approach to inventory management of its high-quality original parts among its customers. "This is because spare parts have always been - and still remain - a critical part of beverage bottling line management. By being proactive in the handling of spare parts, customers are equipped to avoid long-term stoppages and unnecessary downtime," comments Sidel Spare Parts Director, Martin Lowinski.
The new service is being offered by the company’s Spare Parts & Logistics team, part of the Sidel Services™ business unit. This unit is dedicated to providing a holistic approach to lowering total costs of ownership (TCO) and raising overall equipment efficiency (OEE) and productivity for the installed Sidel equipment of beverage producers worldwide.
Proactive replacement
"When even a few minutes of lost production can have significant financial consequences, minimising downtime is very important to all our customers - big and small,” continues Mr Lowinski. “High quality spare parts, along with the speed of supply and planned stock replenishment programmes, are fundamental to achieving this. We believe that proactively managing parts inventory is one relatively simple yet effective way for all beverage producers to eliminate unscheduled breaks in production."
The new service is a combination of three new order types (Emergency, Stock Replenishment and Maintenance); four recommended lists of strategically critical parts (Emergencies, Maintenance, Overhaul and Uptime), tailored to fit different production conditions; and a comprehensive portfolio of parts covering the company’s entire portfolio of equipment, past and present. Sidel is encouraging beverage producers and bottlers, big and small, to plan ahead using the lists and order parts in advance. By doing so producers can reduce upfront costs, have the flexibility to better manage costs to meet demand, and avoid stoppages occurring without having critical replacement parts on site.
Global logistics and delivery
In the past 18 months Sidel has strengthened its global logistics chain to support this new service, doubling the size of its global parts hub and introducing new logistics technologies for advanced tracking around the globe. The company’s distribution centres, each carefully selected for their central locations and close proximity to airports and shipping channels, cover the world. Therefore parts can be delivered on time, in full wherever customers are globally depending on their needs. The company also offers a 24/7, overnight and weekend service.
Qualified to fit and function
The company firmly believes that only quality spare parts offer food-grade safety compliance along with maximum reliability and durability, providing improved safety for operators, minimal risk of breakdowns and long-term security of production. This, in turn, will ultimately result in more continuous production and an improvement in overall TCO. Every part is therefore produced only from the highest quality raw materials and designed, tested and certified by the same Sidel engineers who design the company’s machines. Tests are carried out using real-world mechanical analysis tools and virtual stress simulations.
The company constantly reviews its portfolio in order to keep its parts up to date with the latest technologies and in line with the latest relevant standards and performance levels. It does so in order to ensure that it can supply customers with a full parts solution, regardless of the age of the equipment. Sidel’s spare parts are warranted to last and include upgraded versions for older parts or even those that have since become obsolete.
Efficient order processing
Having manufactured production equipment for many years – over 165 years in fact – Sidel knows what it takes to get parts to customers on time in order to keep production running. Almost 1,000 orders are processed and shipped globally every day, which is more than one order every two minutes, to an installed base of over 30,000 machines in 191 countries. As well as the very latest parts - and bundles of parts - Sidel provides remanufactured parts and components that deliver same-as-new performance and reliability.
To maximise customers’ uptime and simplify the overhaul process, all spare parts needed are prepared and packed for each Sidel machine, ready for delivery. The company also provides complete assemblies or sub-assemblies for customers to install themselves onsite. Its engineers will also refurbish assemblies, providing rotation assemblies to keep the line running in the meantime.
Further details on the Spare Parts & Logistics offering, which is part of the Sidel Services portfolio (which also includes Maintenance, Line Improvement, Training, Line Conversions & Moulds, and Packaging), are available by visiting sidel.com/parts or by emailing services@sidel.com
