Going the extra mile for a shipboard repair

While the Qcom slogan ‘Going the Extra Mile’ refers broadly to our core values of technical, service and operational excellence, it also underlines the very practical need for our field engineers and technicians to get to wherever the end-user and equipment is.

This very literal commitment to ‘going the extra mile’ was demonstrated on a recent support call for a printer failure in the workplace.

So far so routine – except that this workplace was a 122,806-tonne tanker currently sailing in the North Sea!

Rapid response

Liaising with the end user, it became clear that the Qcom engineer would only be able to gain access to the ship once it had docked at the Isle of Grain port near Medway, Kent.

The ship would only be docked for a short amount, so a quick diagnosis and repair would be vital.

Working with our manufacturer client, Epson UK, we were able to make sure that an in-depth technical filter was carried out before the ship docked. This allowed us to diagnose the likely fault with a high degree of certainty, and prepare our site visit accordingly.

The engineer was scheduled to meet the tanker as soon as it docked and a wide range of parts were sent out to the engineer in advance, ensuring the best chance of a first-time fix.

First-class service

Once on board, the Qcom engineer quickly identified the fault and carried out the Epson repair, replacing several parts to get the printer back up and running.

The unit was also thoroughly tested to ensure everything was in full working order before the ship set sail again.

By outsourcing aftermarket support to Qcom, Epson UK had been able to provide first-class service to their customer, effecting a repair quickly and efficiently with minimal disruption to the ship’s schedule.

Epson UK Service & Support Manager Nigel Wing said: “Epson UK has worked in partnership with Qcom for 4 years. Having a reliable and trustworthy partner for these crucial timed service events is vitally important for Epson, so that our customers can have complete trust in us to deliver on our promise to exceed their expectations.

“With their commitment to excellence, flexibility, and value the Epson/Qcom relationship has grown from strength to strength, and this can only benefit our customers in the long run.”

This single service event is a great example of how we help technology manufacturers deliver industry-leading aftermarket support that really is ready to ‘go the extra mile’ whenever called upon.

Read more here about how Qcom helps manufacturers meet their technical service and aftermarket support challenges, explore our services for the logistics & supply chain sector, or contact us to discuss your specific requirements.