MPS Systems: Importance of servicing a flexo press

MPS Systems Regional Sales Director for BeNeLux region, Africa and the Middle East Marius van Lith explains Packaging MEA, the importance of servicing a flexo machine

In these harsh times where all certainties become uncertain, I’d like to emphasise the value of data-driven remote service. In the old days, we were keen to check in on our customer around the corner, drink a cup of coffee and help solve any problems. This was personal, friendly and pleasant, but also time-consuming.

Society has increasingly focused on being productivity-driven, beating the competition and enlarging businesses to global level. This has expanded the customer reach that suppliers must serve, bringing challenges in logistics, service delivery and timing. In other words, time is money.

Solving problems remotely
Sometimes, standstills are unavoidable because maintenance must be done, and problems occur. But we all aim to keep downtime as limited as possible. This requires both planning and immediate action. The best scenario is if we can deep-dive into the machine to check and solve issues – from a distance.

All software-related issues can be easily taken care of this way, but in cases where parts must be replaced, or maintenance is required, we have people who are trained and equipped to take action. With MPS flexo presses, remote access is possible, thanks to modems that enable us to connect directly to the heart of the machines. Via our remote diagnostics and logs, we can see exactly how your press is performing, and either resolve the issues or determine the next steps. Our dedicated kits with crucial spares (Red Box), consumables and maintenance products make instant replacements possible and avoids unnecessary downtime.

Our operators and engineers are well-trained and can take the action needed. We constantly monitor their skills and, when necessary, retrain them to ensure they know how to service their MPS press. This way, together with operators and maintenance engineers, we’re able to check the status of the machine and define what must be done to operate it at its ultimate performance, or in case of a failure, how to get it up and running again quickly.

Performance Program
We’re also able to monitor the operation of the machine and detect unexpected and deviating actions that limit the maximum efficient operation of the machine. Using algorithms, we can
monitor if the machine is moving into production as quickly as it should, if changeovers are done according to the norms, and if speeds are maximised. This helps ensure production time, set-up and waste levels are reduced.

Based on an analysis of your jobs, we can calculate the most efficient way of producing and work together with you on possible improvements. We call it the MPS Performance Program. Over the years, we keep your machine in optimal condition, your operators maximally motivated and trained, and we monitor the efficiency of operations together with you.

You’ll be amazed by the effects that tiny improvements have on your business results. And we’re happy to offer advice and help you reach the next level in your business development. With the Performance Program, we can help significantly increase your productivity and show how it directly contributes to your profit level.

The advantage is that, especially now in times of crisis, this is all done remotely. We don’t just focus on the machine, but on your entire production process as an integral activity. We call it Beyond the Machine.