JBT’s PRoCARE preventative maintenance program is hugely important element for many customers’ annual planning as a means of avoiding unplanned, costly downtime. For JBT’s UK-based tray-sealing subsidiary, Proseal, it has become essential for customers in the years since its introduction, so much so that the company now has a dedicated PRoCARE department.
“Although we officially began offering PRoCARE preventative maintenance in 2011, since Proseal first began trading in 1999 we have emphasized our genuine commitment to customer care,” explains Proseal Key Accounts Manager Daryl Henshaw. “It’s not just a slogan, it’s widely-recognized as the best service you can get for a heat-sealing machine.”
Customer Confidence
One of Proseal’s first preventative maintenance contracts was with the well know multinational food manufacturer Bakkavor Group and the company has remained a participant in the PRoCARE program ever since. “We have learnt a lot with these guys,” says Henshaw. “They were actually our first ever PRoCARE contract some 10 years ago they have renewed their contract every year since, and have in fact gone on to roll out PRoCARE across six of their largest UK sites.” Henshaw himself took charge of handling the contract in his former role as a service engineer, overseeing in 2011 the care of around 30 pieces of equipment; today the customer has over 80 machines under PRoCARE.
“Given the nature of our industry and where Proseal machinery sits within our group, the continued support of Proseal is key to the success of our business,” says Bakkavor’s Group Engineering Manager, Ben Cooper. “The level of aftersales support we receive from Proseal is often used as something of a yard stick for our other suppliers”.
Reducing Risk
So successful has the preventative maintenance program been for Proseal, that the JBT company now counts all of its key account customers as participants, as well as dozens of smaller customers with one or more tray-sealing machines. “We now have between 60-80 active contracts covering over 400 machines,” explains Henshaw. In fact, Proseal now has a dedicated subdivision which specializes in running PRoCARE contracts with a particular focus on continuity of service and response time.
“PRoCARE is about reducing the risk of breakdowns, while driving up efficiency: a well-maintained machine is less likely to breakdown,” continues Henshaw. “The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Most customers have reported huge reductions in downtime as a result of going from reactive maintenance to proactive PRoCARE.
Optimizing Systems
However, more than just servicing systems, Henshaw says a large part of Proseal’s PRoCARE focus is on optimizing machinery. “We will do a Line Optimization Day to make sure the machine is doing what it should for the customer,” he says. “We will also do a report on the efficiency of the line and will highlight any problems.”
Although the Covid-19 pandemic has brought challenges for the whole industry, Henshaw says Proseal has focused on putting in place stringent procedures and PPE, which has allowed maintenance visits to continue. However, Proseal has additionally invested in telephone support and extra members of staff to provide all customers with help when necessary. “We offer 24/7, 365 days a year telephone support, you don’t have to be a PRoCARE customer,” adds Henshaw. “Customer care is one of Proseal’s foundations and that’s what we are famous for.”