CONNECT for more efficient technical support

Thanks to CONNECT, Karl Mayer’s customers can call up the production data easily and transmit data just as easily, conveniently and securely if there are any problems.

The monitoring of production data is becoming more and more important in modern manufacturing operations. Furthermore, in view of tight processing schedules, unplanned machine stoppages are also expensive and have to be dealt with as quickly as possible. In this case, the first step is to make absolutely clear what the problem is. The machine manufacturer’s technical support personnel need the customer to supply all the relevant data relating to the situation on site, and this must be done without any mistakes, and as clearly and quickly as possible.

KARL MAYER has developed the special KARL MAYER CONNECT app to provide fast and efficient communication between the machine operators and the technical support specialists. From July 2016 onwards, it will be possible to download the app onto smartphones and tablets from the Apple Store, Google Play and 360 Mobile Assistant for Android devices in China. This new service is available in two stages and is easy to use. The menu navigation system is intuitive and is familiar to users of mobile devices.

Step-by-step efficient communication

Level 1 of the KARL MAYER CONNECT app covers the basic communication package. The transfer of information is both simple and specific. If there is a problem, the personnel on site can use a smartphone or tablet to scan a QR code on the operator console of the machine to send off a technical query, which is received by KARL MAYER’s technical support staff. With this transmission, they also receive important log files for explaining the problem. The customer can also send photos and comments with his query to give more details of the problem. This can be done conveniently by using easy-to-understand touch commands. A direct link to the KARL MAYER SPARE PARTS WEBSHOP can also be established just by touching the screen. All the possibilities are available for machines equipped with the appropriate KAMCOS® upgrade – which is available as standard from the construction year, April 2016, onwards. Earlier models, from 2010 onwards, can be upgraded accordingly.

Level 2 of the new app can be used if the machines operate with KAMCOS® 2 and can be linked into the customer’s network via the WLAN, together with the mobile devices. This second level offers more features. A service request can also be sent via the QR code, which can also transmit an extensive package of machine data, gives more details of the query, together with any comments and photos, and is the direct link to the KARL MAYER SPARE PARTS WEBSHOP.

The machine data are also available for checking remotely – within range of the company network. Operating data that can be looked at remotely include e.g. the notification history and speed record. The customer always has the efficiency data relating to the plant ready to hand. If the client has any general questions regarding the technology, the pages relating to the machine documentation/information can be opened by touching the screen. The KARL MAYER CONNECT app was premiered at ITMA 2015 in Milan, where it met with a great deal of interest. Encouraged by this success, KARL MAYER’s technical support strategies over the following months concentrated on putting the infrastructure in place for rolling out the system worldwide. The second phase of the app will then be available worldwide. In future, he and his team will be able to receive more data and reliable information, enabling them to provide technical support more quickly and in a more targeted way.

The KARL MAYER CONNECT app is not an isolated system. Together with the KARL MAYER CHECK PARTS and the SPARE PARTS WEBSHOP, it is one of the new, innovative on-line services for mobile devices, which are complementing KARL MAYER’s direct customer support services.