Keeping promises

Mills CNC’s extensive and well-resourced aftersales and service operation ensures, amongst other advantages, fast, efficient and trouble-free machine tool delivery, installation and commissioning. PES takes a closer look at the operation.

A large percentage of the headline news generated by, and about, Mills CNC concerns the company’s year-on-year strong sales performance, the depth and breadth of the Doosan machine tool range available to UK and Irish component manufacturers, and specific case studies that focus on individual customers using and applying Doosan machine tool technologies in their manufacturing facilities.

However, Mills says a major area of its business operation that probably doesn’t get as much recognition or press coverage as it should is its aftersales and service operation. The operations is well-resourced – to meet the needs of an installed base approaching 5,000 machines as well as ensuring the safe and efficient delivery and installation of over 400 new machine tools per year, it has to be.

Mills’ aftersales operation comprises a number of different functions and disciplines including PDI (pre-delivery inspection), machine tool service and servicing, applications, parts, accessories and training. It also includes Mills’ Projects Team which is responsible for machine tool delivery, installation and commissioning.

The Projects Team

The Projects’ Team employs five experienced members of staff who interface and communicate with Mills’ sales, commercial and aftersales staff as well as the customer and, other third party specialist service providers, to ensure seamless machine tool delivery and installation.

Once an order for a new Doosan machine has been taken and confirmed – this involves interaction and negotiation between the customer and Mills’ sales and commercial operations – the Projects Team gets involved.

The team initially qualifies the order and a customer’s requirements, and then devises and implements a delivery strategy to make sure that order fulfilment occurs and that expectations are met.

Heath Redman, Mills CNC’s operations director comments: “Some machine tool installations are relatively straightforward whilst others can be more complex, and this is often dictated by the type of machine being ordered by the customer.”

It is anticipated that a standard Doosan machine, like a Lynx 2-axis lathe or DNM 3-axis vertical machining centre available from stock at Mills’ Technology Campus facility in Leamington, should create fewer delivery and installation issues than a large-capacity Doosan horizontal borer that is being built to order by Doosan at its facilities in South Korea prior to being shipped to the UK and then delivered to the customer.

“The ethos within the Operations Department, as it is across all Mills’ operations, is that the ‘customer is king,” Mr Redman affirms. “Irrespective of whether a machine tool delivery and installation is complicated or not, it is approached with same professionalism, dedication and commitment to get it ‘right first time’. Mills’ corporate ‘Like No-one Else’ proposition means that we go the extra mile for our customers.”

The performance of Mills’ aftersales operations, which includes the Projects Team, are monitored and reviewed regularly. This is not just an ISO: 9001 quality management system requirement but also an integral element of Mills’ own in-house continuous improvement programme.

“We contact every customer by telephone once their machine(s) has been delivered, installed and passed off, and complete a customer questionnaire with them.,” Mr Redman explains. “We analyse the feedback and comments obtained and, where required, make adjustments and changes to our service.

“We aim for 100% satisfaction with every delivery. Constant monitoring and evaluation of what we do and how we do things makes this objective a reality.”

Going the extra mile

With over 400 new Doosan machines being delivered every year by Mills to customers in the UK and Ireland it is essential that the company has efficient systems and processes in place.

Delivery of standard machines from stock are relatively straightforward. Prior to delivery, the machines undergo a thorough PDI by Mills engineers to ensure that they are in full working order. Mills has a dedicated PDI team and employs four full-time engineers to undertake these tasks.

Many customers increasingly order standard machines from stock with some modifications and/or accessories that require installation prior to their delivery. These modifications can include, for example, integrating fourth or fifth axis units to Doosan machining centres or integrating bar feeders to lathes or turning centres.

To cater for these modifications and additions, Mills holds many of the most commonly requested accessories in stock, meaning that they can be fitted or be prepared to be fitted, quickly and without compromising delivery times. For machines that are not held in stock orders are put through to Doosan Machine Tools in South Korea.

With large and/or sophisticated machines like the DBC-series of horizontal borers and the VCF 850 5AX (5-axis machine) range, operations staff from Mills travel to the relevant Doosan factory in South Korea to check the machine build and undertake a PDI before the machine is exported to the customer. A further comprehensive check is then undertaken when the machine arrives at the customer’s facility.

Leaving nothing to chance

Getting a machine safely and securely to a customer’s facility, and ensuring that there are no last minute hitches with its installation are also vital tasks performed by the Projects Team. And prior to delivery, a comprehensive site survey is undertaken which helps identify and solve potential installation problems before they arise such as access to and inside the customer’s facility.

In some instances existing machines will need to be moved to enable the new machine to be sited in its desired position. In other cases the new machine may need to be stripped down in order to get it through narrow roller shutter doors and then rebuilt once it is in position.

Heath Redman: “The site survey is a critical risk assessment procedure and is an integral part of our service. We devote significant time and effort undertaking them, and they are a vital in highlighting potential delivery and installation issues in advance.

“Our customers also welcome the site surveys as they demonstrate that, when it comes to delivering and installing their new machine - nothing, quite literally, is left to chance.”

Mills CNC www.millscnc.co.uk

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MIlls CNC

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