Due to the current economic conditions, the printing industry is also facing major challenges, forcing companies to act in order to remain competitive. Besides new, efficient production solutions, service also plays a key role in meeting customer expectations. Given the ever tighter delivery deadlines, unplanned production stoppages are a no go. In recent years, Müller Martini has invested extensively in its service offering and network, both in terms of staffing and technology. As a result, the Swiss finishing specialist has established itself as a reliable partner in the industry. This fact is underscored by customer feedback, with over 90% rating the services positively.

“With this in mind, we have consistently developed our offering, following a proactive life cycle management approach with MMServices. We support our customers in maintaining the productivity of their finishing systems throughout their entire service life. Each machine is categorized by life cycle and the availability of spare parts and support is defined accordingly. In the central MPower portal, the installed base and status of the individual machines is displayed transparently,” emphasizes Felix Stirnimann, Global Service Business, Member of the Executive Board at Müller Martini.

Data-driven service and support

Today, customer requirements for service and support are very individual. Aspects such as the business model or usage rating play a key role. “The break & fix approach is becoming increasingly less important,” explains Felix Stirnimann. “Nowadays, our customers expect planned, structured, and budgeted service. This is why we work with customers to arrange tailored services under the label MMSelect.”

With the customer’s consent, Müller Martini accesses production data to be able to offer specific services. By introducing the MPower customer portal, the company has opened up totally new opportunities to develop data-driven solutions. MPower features comprehensive analysis and reporting tools to analyze and visualize data gained based on various criteria. Users can view the productivity of a system per order, per shift, or over a defined period of time. More than 2,000 customers now use the MPower customer portal.

The numbers speak for themselves

In the event of a machine standstill, quick response times are, without fail, the most important factor for any customer. This is why the Müller Martini call center is available around the clock. Customers can either contact the center by phone or make an eCall using the new MPower function. Over 90% of requests are resolved quickly in this way. An eShop was set up over ten years ago and has been optimized continuously ever since. Today, 40% of all spare parts orders are handled through the platform. And if all else fails, Müller Martini has over 32 service support points worldwide and can rely on 330 service and support technicians.

Current data from production act as a foundation for making fact-based service decisions in collaboration with the customer. Müller Martini offers various services to analyze the current situation in finishing and define additional measures based on the analysis. The result may be employee training, a hardware or software upgrade, or a new investment. Müller Martini will present this consultation approach in detail at drupa 2024. Of course, artificial intelligence (AI) has already found its way into service, in the area of remote support. It aids the specialists in providing solutions even faster. With the help of AI, the relevant documents can be found faster and the problem eliminated quickly.