United Grinding's Digital Solutions Aid Maintenance and More

In response to the lockdowns of the coronavirus pandemic, the United Grinding Group has increasingly used technology to support its worldwide customer base and keep machines running with minimal downtime.

United Grinding’s Digital Solutions encompass three main offerings: production monitoring, service monitoring and remote service. The first two help customers track production — for example, highlighting when maintenance work is required and where problems may arise in production. Remote service uses United Grinding’s Conference Center app and technology to conduct video and voice chat with help desks.

One example of remote service in action concerns machines’ backup batteries. The batteries maintain the power supply of a control system in the event of a power failure, and require occasional changes. The machine operator receives a notice on the operating panel about replacing the backup battery when the time for replacement nears, with the production manager also seeing the message on the production monitor. United Grinding’s customer cockpit provides the user manual and installation instructions for the machine in question, but the operator or manager can also send a service request directly through the Digital Solutions app.

From there, United Grinding employees can provide live tips and hints to the service technician through the conference center. The whiteboard function supports image sharing, and the helpline technician can draw markers directly into images.

“There were 2,500 demands for remote service during 2020,” says Neil Whittingham, sales director at United Grinding subsidiary Walter Ewag UK.

United Grinding points out that its digital solutions can increase the effectiveness of more than just repairs — the production and service monitors can benefit remote process optimization. Whittingham adds that United Grinding North America also performs preliminary machine acceptances remotely.