Take advantage of your proximity to Krones …

 

… with a Krones in-house overhaul

In order to keep a Krones machine performing to its maximum potential, it’s essential to make sure that overhauls are performed as carefully and effectively as possible. We always endeavour to carry out the work steps involved with professional competence and in compliance with ultra-stringent standards of quality. It may perhaps sound paradoxical, but Krones’ in-house overhauls offer above all advantages during an on-site overhaul. What exactly does this mean? And what precisely does the term “in-house overhaul“ denote? This is what I aim to explain below. For this purpose, I set off on my travels again, and talked to the colleague responsible, who is called Tobias Käsbauer.

“During an overhaul, clients are increasingly demanding verified quality for the overhauled parts, want to have it carried out with a maximally reduced staffing requirements, but nonetheless keep the lines’ efficiency at a maximised level after maintenance work. In order to achieve this, we offer, for example, the Krones in-house overhaul.“

Tobias Käsbauer (Head of Assembly, Repairs – Central Lifecycle Service Production) is in charge of the in-house department at Neutraubling and gave me some insights into in-house overhauls at Krones’ facility in Neutraubling, and the department located here:

However, an in-house overhaul begins way before this: during the on-site inspection. The Krones technician can already clarify with the client the various options available involving overhaul variants for individual assemblies. So often it makes sense to have the assemblies overhauled in-house at one of Krones’ plants. But why exactly should a client actually decide to have certain assemblies overhauled in a Krones plant simultaneously with or independently of an on-site overhaul?

With the in-house overhaul, we offer our clients important advantages:

  • verified quality thanks to an in-house overhaul
  • avoidance of missed deadlines due to parts not being available on site
  • more selectively efficacious deployment of temporal resources on site (e.g. Krones service technician)
  • faster overhauls on site, with restart brought forward
  • long-term assurance of line availability by reason of complete dismantling and testing of the overhauled components in the Krones plant
  • access to Krones’ entire machinery resources if needed

And now back to the meeting with the client: if this variant is an attractive option for the client concerned, then an upcoming in-house overhaul has to already be planned before the overhaul on site. When this takes place, the desired assembly is then removed on site. The assembly is then passed through various stations: “First of all, the assembly concerned has to be dispatched to the Krones plant, where it is then overhauled by our qualified personnel specialised in this particular assembly. Here, when each individual wear part is dismantled, it is checked for damage and condition, so as to assure its function in further use. The assembly is then sent back to the client. On site, a Krones service technician or the client’s own maintenance staff can then install the overhauled assembly, and start up the machine again”, explains Tobias Käsbauer.

 

What added values does this create for the client?

“Besides the overhaul as such, Krones also organises transport and dispatch of the assemblies being replaced. In the Krones plant, the staff utilise special equipment enabling the overhaul of the parts concerned to be performed to a maximised level of quality. Besides utilising specialised cleaning processes like ultrasound, caustic cleaning and special surface treatment, the Krones technician can if necessary make use of Krones’ entire machinery resources, and indeed of the central warehouse for spares, for example, enabling each individual spare part to be replaced if necessary at short notice. What’s more, we can also tap into internal engineering so as to implement any special constructions needed, for example, to go through optimisation measures with the client and through our sales people offer associated upgrades for certain assemblies,” explains Tobias.

In order to render an overhaul even more time-economical, I learned that Krones also offers an option for what is called a “exchange programme”. According to Tobias, the salient difference is this: “Krones provides the client with assemblies that have already been completely overhauled, which is why a exchange programme can also be ordered at short notice. After the client has opted to purchase a customer-neutral assembly, this will be dispatched, and can be simply and uncomplicatedly substituted on site for the constructionally identical assembly due for overhauling. This can then in its turn be dispatched to Krones, so as to be overhauled at a later date and stored as a customer-neutral option.”

 

So the exchange programme can also be carried out independently of the actual overhaul?

“Exactly! For example, individual assemblies can be removed and installed during relatively brief standstills, (e.g. cleaning shifts). The temporal resources involved (e.g. maintenance staff on site) can thus be significantly more efficaciously deployed during (but also independently of) an on-site overhaul.”

 

My summary for in-house overhauls:

Besides time-related advantages, an in-house overhaul offers the client above all a reduced risk of unscheduled downtime, since this can be downsized by verified quality of the components overhauled. This is a very uncomplicated procedure for the client, particularly when there is also an option for utilising assemblies that have been overhauled beforehand.

 

For further information, and if you have any questions or suggestions, we will be pleased to assist you through your LCS field sales contact person.