Traditional equipment maintenance – dealing with problems as they arise – often involves unnecessarily expensive, unbudgeted and unsatisfactory quick fixes. JBT’s PRoCARE program, by contrast, anticipates issues before they become problems, applying proactive system management that enables protein customers to keep within budget and avoid costly downtime.
In some cases, using PRoCARE has saved protein customers thousands of dollars in unnecessary parts expenditure. And, given the pressure some companies find themselves under as a result of the pandemic, JBT has expanded parts discounts and free virtual support, while also providing extended payment terms for the rest of 2020.
Brendon Somerfield, Head of PRoCARE and Customer Care in North America for JBT Protein, says the emphasis for PRoCARE is on proactive, preventative maintenance for customers. “PRoCARE is proactive, staying ahead of any issues that might come around, and providing inspections and PM visits from highly experienced technicians,” he explains.
Downtime avoided
A typical recent example that Somerfield quotes is of a customer for JBT’s DSI portioning range who estimates having PRoCARE in place has saved them $250,000 dollars worth of parts through proactive management by helping with parts budgeting, thanks to regular visits and contact with JBT service technicians. Another example Somerfield gives is a Frigoscandia GYRoCOMPACT Spiral freezer customer that could have been faced with a substantial downtime as a result of an equipment problem that was not immediately apparent.
“The customer was experiencing premature drive chain stretch and wear, and they weren’t aware of that,” he says. “It was an older piece of equipment and some of the sensors had been neglected in previous years.
“Being in there twice a year, we were able to catch this and offer a rebuild for their machine. A premature stretch on a critical drive component can potentially lead to major downtime events. We likely saved them 12-16 hours’ downtime and that’s pretty critical for a weekly production shift.”
Ongoing support
PRoCARE, says Somerfield, is a continuously evolving platform, which gives customers the option of a monthly payment plan with zero percent financing, helping them maintain a reliable and consistent budget throughout the year.
Furthermore, with many companies experiencing unstable cash flows and production capacities as an indirect result of the pandemic, JBT PRoCARE is now offering them a sixty-day payment plan, as well as an additional parts discount. Instead of the standard 5% PRoCARE parts discount, JBT PRoCARE is offering a 10% discount for the rest of 2020 for qualifying DSI opportunities. Additionally, JBT is providing free remote support for PRoCARE customers over the months ahead, ensuring the JBT commitment to proactive service is maintained.