“Production reliability and efficiency play a major role for our customers. Every unplanned downtime, especially with just-in-time production, can result in financial loss,” explains Christian Schlichtenbrede, head of Service Products at KHS. In order that bottlers can also rely on the performance of their machines long after commissioning, KHS is continuously expanding its range of services. This includes its cooperation with some of the world’s biggest manufacturers of lubricants and adhesives, for instance, who now produce consumables under contract for KHS according to certain specifications. This allows customers to be given precise advice on the right products for their plant equipment.

KHS machines operate with gear systems which are tailored to the specific application. The company thus believes in providing individual and holistic advice regarding the lubricants used. This allows production to be especially economical and efficient as this measure counteracts any pending gear damage. Besides recommending a suitable lubricant KHS also analyzes the consistency of the oil in spot checks and calculates the appropriate maintenance intervals. KHS also subjects adhesives and labeling materials to extensive laboratory analysis so that it can recommend the best system to its customers according to the climatic conditions of the target market and the container shape.

Moving towards proactive maintenance
With the help of a compact endoscope KHS can gain a detailed impression of the inner workings of the gearbox. During maintenance the state of the mechanical equipment is documented in photos, enabling the need for spare parts or new gears to be detected well in advance. KHS subsequently provides the required parts in good time and installs them during a planned stop in production. Another option is to check the machinery using vibration analysis. This enables conclusions on the current state of the gears to be drawn and a precise declaration as to the service life of the machine to be made.

“With these new measures we’re gradually moving away from reactive maintenance to a proactive form of maintenance which prevents damage caused by wear,” states Schlichtenbrede. KHS services such as these thus ensure economical production in the long term.