Southgate Global on the vital role of servicing

IT IS quite possible to have a situation where all the vehicle movement programmes, the automated equipment and the vehicles at the dock have all been optimised, but the whole operation has to slow down or even stop, just because a pallet wrapper is malfunctioning, insufficient carts are to hand, or even a tape machine or strapping machine is out of service.

The truth is that the supply chain has an incredibly delicate ecosystem, with one piece of equipment having the ability to bring a whole operation to a halt.

Recent research revealed that 82 per cent of companies have experienced some amount of unplanned downtime in the last few years, on average these can last at least four hours each. With ageing equipment as the cause of 44 per cent of all unplanned downtime events.

The importance of fully functioning and readily available warehouse equipment is therefore key to a well-oiled operation. Essentially, it’s the backbone of any warehouse, and ensuring equipment such as carts, trolleys and strapping, wrapping and taping machines are fully functioning at each stage is crucial to keep goods flowing.

This is why a planned maintenance programme that ensures the reliability and availability of this ancillary material handling and packing equipment is so important. Even having to hand an ‘on demand' trusted and skilled service and maintenance team can make a key difference to the efficiency of operational logistics and fulfilment teams. 

Instead of relying on OEMs to perform expensive repairs at their convenience, organisations need to be able to rely on a specialist team that can service, maintain and repair equipment to the timetable that suits the customer. 

From planned and preventative maintenance to on demand repairs, Southgate Global stresses the importance of having a reliable and flexible repair service to reduce downtime, extend product life, reduce CapEx spend and enhance ROI.

John Maher, Head of Technical Services at Southgate Global, said: “Booking regular mobile equipment servicing and maintenance programmes is a simple preventative action all organisations should take. It allows you to capture potential malfunctions early, spot components that are beginning to fail and turn potential major slowdowns into manageable servicing repairs before any loss of productivity impact is felt.”

Maher explained that in doing so, you are also extending the total life cycle of products by repairing and not replacing, which has huge sustainability gains.

He added: “At Southgate, we’re always looking for ways to help our customers get maximum value and meet their sustainability goals. By offering servicing solutions, we are adding years onto a product’s capabilities. Not only does this improve return on investment and reduce capital expenditure, but it also avoids perfectly repairable equipment finding its way to landfill. 

“This falls as part of our focus on the six R’s – refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle, repair. We aim to repair and renovate material handling and packing equipment wherever we can, even those not originally manufactured by Southgate. Our teams always give an honest opinion when a product is no longer repairable and as a last resort, requires a replacement.”

With over 40 technicians across the UK and Europe, servicing and repairing over 3000 machines per week, Southgate’s technical services offer is a major player in its range of end-to-end solutions and prides itself on its ability to keep customers fully operational.  

As dedicated specialists in repairing, servicing and maintaining equipment, the Southgate team understand that any downtime in equipment usage is potentially an issue which increases costs. To avoid this, they have the specific tools and knowledge to take care of a customer’s entire inventory of packing equipment, regardless of manufacturer. 

From ad hoc repairs to regular maintenance, Southgate customers can choose from a mobile technical service team that visits on-site or the option to ship to its strategically located European service clinics where the customer’s onsite constraints, such as H&S restrictions, demand an offsite service option. 

Maher concluded: “It doesn’t matter how big, or small, the equipment or machinery is, in this fast-moving world of logistics where time is of the essence and the demand for quick deliveries is increasing, it needs to be reliable and fully optimised. 

“Undoubtedly this can be challenging for over-stretched teams who do not have the in-house specialist knowledge or time to give to this level of equipment maintenance. But the impact of this can cause a huge knock-on effect, which is why our technical services offer at Southgate is designed the way it is to work around our customers’ needs. Providing them with peace of mind, knowing that they are minimising and even eradicating the risk of packing and material handling related equipment downtime.”

To find out more about Southgate’s Technical Services, click here.