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SPARES ORDERS:A QUICKIE CHECK SAVES DOWNTIME
Page 177
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The detailed attention given to Edbro customers is soon apparent to a visitor to the company's Service Department at Bolton. Here, Mr Harry Hodgson, a company veteran, showed me some of the records of original customer orders going back for 35 years.
These enable the staff at Bolton readily to check the detailed specification of the original equipment to ensure that appropriate spares are supplied.
The space needed to store so many records is costly and for some years they have been progressively transferred onto microfilm. Not only does this provide more space for Edbro spares but it enables the information about the original equipment to be located within five minutes.
Purchasers of Edbro equipment are invited to return a postcard to the Spares and Service Centre showing the serial number and from whom purchased. Users may also request a relevant parts list which is deliberately not included with new equip ment when it leaves Bolton in case it should get mislaid before reaching its ultimate destination. This clearly aids any subsequent ordering of spares.
Because of the nature of tipping gear, lifting gear, tailboard loaders, etc, Mr Hodgson stressed the importance attached to operational safety. Edbro publishes an illustrated "Tips on Tippers" which underlines the need to fit a body prop when fitters are working on a vehicle with the body raised.
This useful leaflet tells operators how to save themselves trouble in ordering spare parts. The serial num
ber on tipping gears is stamped on the nameplate fixed to the oil required for the ram assembly or valve control, etc. The number is in two parts: first comes the model type, eg 4LNS, followed by the individual gear number.
The latter should always be given.
On the power take-off and pump unit the serial number is stamped on the flanges where the two are bolted together.
The authorised distributors of Edbro products are expected to keep a reasonable stock of spares, certainly the spares that are in regular demand. Area managers on their regular visits monitor spares holdings in relation to the known users in the area. Special arrangements are made at Bolton to deal promptly with the dispatch or urgent VOR spares.
Mr Hodgson sees much benefit in being accountable to the managing director, rather than to any subordinate functional executive. "We work a bit independently in the service and spares area. I can go to the design office, the production manager or whomever, without any delay if it is necessary to further customer satisfaction."
That the formula works well is evidenced by the growth of Edbro. When Mr
Hodgson started with the company employees numbered around 250. Today the group workforce has grown to around 1,500. I see in this growth the contribution made by an effective customer-oriented spares and service set-up.
Many orders for spares are telephoned to Bolton. Mr Hodgson and his staff take this in their stride, though, clearly, phoned orders have to be recorded on paper. Customers as well as Edbro would benefit if more of them made use of the service departments own Telex (635101), which is separate from that of the production side of the company.
Edbro operators can obtain special purpose tools for a few specialist maintenance jobs. Operators not aware of this facility may like to know that a tool kit, or individual parts from it, may be obtained from Edbro at Bolton or any distributor. The three frames provided cover the entire range of external ram nuts, from 2in to 10in in diameter.
Pins provided in the kit fit inside screwed bushes and these are adjusted to the diameter of the ram nut. The frame can also be used as a drilling jig if it should be necessary to re-drill the ram nut.
• John Darker