Who needs a service contract?

Taking out a service contract is a great deal more than just an insurance policy against unexpected failure, it's a positive move to maximise the investment you've made in your business.

Amidst the flurry of excitement and activity that surrounds the purchase and installation of any new major item of capital equipment it's easy to overlook the requirement to maintain and protect that investment. Perhaps you feel you've already spent enough, or maybe you take the view ‘we'll cross that bridge when we come to it'.

But this could be a short-sighted attitude that will diminish the value - in both financial and operational terms - of the asset you have just spent months selecting, weeks negotiating and days to install and commission. By taking theoption of a service contract, you won't just be protecting yourself against unexpected costs or downtime, you'll be ensuring that the equipment works to its full capacity for you, maximising the return on your investment.

An interesting comparison was made in a Vision in Print ‘Best Practice' report in which it was pointed out that the typical company car is a £20-£40,000 investment and receives excellent maintenance, yet often print sites with capital equipment worth many times this figure have little or no pre-scheduled maintenance, apparently preferring to wait until things go wrong. The report points out that the total costs of poor maintenance aren't just the repair bills, they're the longer term losses from reduced productivity and inconsistent quality, reprinted jobs and weakened customer relationships, as well the potential impact on future business opportunities.

Return on investment

You buy a platesetter - or any other piece of capital equipment - to perform a certain task. You probably don't expect to be running it 24/7 (though in some instances you might) but you do want to be sure it'll be working when it's needed. A service contract means you get a guaranteed level of response to any unexpected problems that arise, but more than that, you get preventative maintenance and advice which not only reduces the incidence of unforeseen problems but makes it possible to schedule downtime for repairs, upgrades or general maintenance around your workload. This means your equipment is working for you more of the time and providing the maximum return on your investment.

Peace of mind

Breakdowns usually come at the worst possible moment, when you're busiest trying to meet deadlines, and also when you're shortest of cash to pay for repairs. The service contract gives you peace of mind because you know that you're covered and that it's all done for a regular monthly cost, helping budget and cashflow forecasting, as well as getting you back up and running as fast as possible.

Flexibility

Signing up for a service contract isn't an all-or-nothing decision that commits you to paying for a level of support that your installation or workload don't warrant. Fujifilm offers a choice of Gold, Silver or Bronze options that guarantee assistance within eight, 16 or 24 operating hours. Gold contracts include unlimited service call-outs while Silver contracts are based on a fixed number, above which assistance will be charged at normal hourly rates; Bronze contracts are helpdesk-based and suited best to software/workflow installations where remote diagnostics mean that site visits are unlikely to be necessary.

All new Fujifilm equipment comes with a warranty which automatically includes Gold level support. Once the warranty has expired, the service contract would take over.

Quality of support

Fujifilm's support staff comprises experts in imaging engines, consumables and software. We invest heavily in these people - each of them will have at least 10 days of intensive technical training each year to ensure that they have an in-depth knowledge of Fujifilm products and applications that you won't find with third-party support services. This enables them to give preventative maintenance advice as well as to respond quickly and effectively if unforeseen problems do arise.

Honesty is the best policy

Fujifilm prides itself on clear and honest communication. Accurate rather than over-optimistic advice is always given on repair times, allowing you to plan production schedules around reliable estimates of when equipment will be online again. If a repair isn't possible on the same day, you will always be advised of this as early as possible and a realistic time to repair given.

That's certainly been the case at Williams Press, a Berkshire printer with two Fuji Luxel V-9600 CTP B1 violet platesetters. Printing around 140 magazines a month and using between 800 and 1200 plates eachas prepress manager Andy Humphries explains: "As a magazine printer we can't miss deadlines. In a couple of days downtime we could get way, way behind, so it excludes taking any chances. The support contract is worth it," he says.

Williams Press has Fuji's Gold level support for its two platesetters and Humphries has found that the guaranteed service levels have always been exceeded. "Fuji sort out any problems very quickly," he confirms. "Usually the same day we call or the next day; they even send parts via taxi if necessary."

Maximising your investment

There are two ways to look at maintenance: as a necessary evil, to be delayed until it can't be avoided, or as an opportunity to invest in the productivity of your equipment, the quality and consistency of your product and the profitability of your company. Most printers get it right with their company cars and other vehicles, so why not with their prepress and printing machinery? It's not hard to see which approach is more likely to improve your business.