Imagine if every time a tire went flat on your car, or the battery died, you had to buy a new car instead of getting it repaired. Not only would that be ridiculously expensive, you’d never consider buying from that manufacturer or dealer again. Yet that’s exactly what many companies do with their material handling equipment. If something breaks, they simply buy a new one and waste money, effort, and most importantly uptime.

None of us would buy a car we couldn’t fix. We all expect that a skilled technician should be able to make sure that everything is functioning, and if not, fix what is needed. So why should an expensive material handling or automation system be any different?

That is why Bastian Solutions believes that after-sales support should be one of the most important factors when selecting an integrator. Providing the right solution for our customers does not stop once we get the purchase order, or even after we receive the final payment. Providing the right solution means that we are also there for our customers in after sales support.  

From something as simple as gravity conveyor to as complicated as goods-to-person technology, every customer should have quick, responsive, reliable support to ensure their system consistently runs smoothly.

Maximized Uptime

Nothing is more important to a warehousing or distribution center operation than uptime. If you are down, no other metrics matter. Preventative maintenance is key, along with having spare parts on hand and 24/7/365 emergency support from an experienced partner. Bastian Solutions provides all of these including leveraging Bastian Support, where you speak with a real person any time of any day, and through the use of Toyota Material Handling North America’s network of trained technicians.

Knowledge of the Equipment

When picking an integrator, you can get almost any equipment from multiple suppliers. However, some of these integrators will not have firsthand knowledge of the equipment, controls, or software and will instead rely on remote or third-party support. This greatly increases the time it takes to resolves issues. We not only have the expertise on whatever equipment we propose and integrate, we have engineers available to troubleshoot and fix any and all issues that may arise in your material handling system.

Less Headaches

When it comes down to it, after-sales support should be about making the customers’ lives easier. If a system goes down or a spare part needs to be ordered, it’s convenient to have a single point of contact you can get ahold of easily. It’s convenient to be able to deal with small issues yourself and have an experienced professional available when larger issues arise. It’s convenient to have the option between on-site support and quick remote support. Bastian Solutions focuses on ensuring our customer is taken care of. This includes operator training to make sure the system is used and maintained correctly.

We pride ourselves in ensuring that our customers are taken care of no matter the age of the system or hardware provided. High quality after-sales support ensures the purchase made is an investment in the future. As an integrator (and not just an equipment supplier), we believe it is vital to take care of the customer throughout not only the sales cycle, but also the lifecycle of anything we provide. Just as you would with any large purchase, make sure after-sales support is a top consideration when selecting an integrator.

Author: Robert Shenon