SIDEL: How long have you been requesting Sidel diagnostics on your equipment?

Colin Hughes: We started using the service in 1993/1994 on Sidel Series1 equipment. We continue to use diagnostic visits on our machine base that now consists of Sidel Series2 and Universal machines.

What are the benefits of this service?

It helps us in several ways:

• It has enabled us to develop a maintenance system based on the Sidel Maintenance program, which we have tailored to meet our production commitments to our customers.
• We have built up a full service history on all lines so we can now predict life cycles and run hours of all parts.
• Diagnostic visits give us a well balanced machine after the A.P.M. (Annual Preventive Maintenance) has been carried out. This guarantees reliability over time. We are not saying that we will not have any wear, but everything will wear out at the same rate according to data we have collected.
• It allows us to have a full complement of spares on site that have already been quality controlled and carry the Sidel warranty. Sidel has always supplied parts on time, and if they have a problem doing so, they forewarn us well ahead of time.
• Our maintenance team uses the visit report as a working document because it is very user friendly. The team can identify the area of a machine and easily find the parts needed for that area. When the work is completed, the team signs off on that assembly.

When do you usually schedule diagnostic visits?

Diagnostic visits are carried out in October usually over a seven day period. It is a combined effort by a Sidel technician and APPE Engineering who carry out an in depth examination of the machine in the time allotted. The interaction between both parties is essential. We find that the time spent looking at and discussing areas before we stop the machine, keeps intervention time to a minimum.

How do you incorporate diagnostic visits and overhauls performed by Sidel into your production planning?

Again, this is a team effort by both sides. First, APPE must draft a plan that Sidel will follow. That plan includes the date of the visit, the number of machines to inspect, the order of inspection, the time allotted for each machine, the history of the last diagnostic report, any parts testing or retrofits since the last visit, etc. Then Sidel agrees to deliver a visit report as soon as possible following the service, deliver parts on time, ready for the A.P.M. which begins in January and continues through April. Finally, Sidel agrees to provide full technical support, if needed.

Would you like to expand these diagnostics to other equipment?

Diagnostic visits are valuable for all Sidel equipment.

How does your maintenance team feel about diagnostic visits, and how do they use them?

The maintenance team welcomes the report. It is a benchmark for them. They like the layout and find it user friendly. Because they have to sign for all work they do, it gives them a responsibility to the rest of their team workers. When a fault occurs, teams can quickly consult history and reference data. They appreciate the service and the exchange of information with Sidel technicians.