Extrusion International 1-2024

21 Extrusion International 1/2024 Investment in Global Service Capabilities to Bolster Customer Service and Support  Davis-Standard expands its service and support ca- pabilities focused on delivering better line efficiency and lower operating costs to its customers. The company’s investments in one global service team, critical spare parts inventory, new service products and advanced digital infrastructure are to address customers’ need for speed, uptime, flexibility, cost savings and quality. These enhanced capabilities are designed to support all equipment manufactured by Davis-Standard and its subsidiaries, including Maillefer. Giovanni Spitale, CEO of Davis-Standard, was quoted as saying, “Davis-Standard's commitment extends far beyond the initial equipment sale – it's about building enduring partnerships that empower our customers to thrive, and we firmly believe the strategic investments in our people, technologies, and operations will provide an immediate impact to our customers.” Davis-Standard's investment spans into four core areas. First, an expanded network of expert service technicians to ensure localized support for customers. For US-based customers, the goal is to have a Davis- Standard certified technician within a 3-hour radius of customer sites, ensuring faster resolution of customer issues. Second, the company stocks 1000+ critical spare parts in its VIP program for its customers. This ensures a 24-hour part availability from a trusted source with predictable costs. Third, to minimize unplanned down- time and increase line performance and throughput, Davis-Standard has flexible preventative maintenance programs customers can choose from, including rebuild and repair programs. Lastly, the company has signifi - cantly invested in a Service Cloud, advanced data ana- lytics, and remote monitoring/IOT capabilities. Coupled with the digital transformation, the increase in sustain- ing innovations, such as product upgrades, ensures the complete life cycle of the equipment is optimized. "Our customer-centric approach drives everything we do. We've restructured internally and expanded our service offerings to ensure unparalleled operational ex- cellence for our customers. Buying equipment from us means a lifelong partnership geared towards enhancing customers’ line efficiency at a competitive total cost of ownership and fostering future innovations," said Zach- ery Ament, Global Service President. Davis-Standard www.davis-standard.com. Distribution Partnership in Italy Signed  At the beginning of 2024, SKZ Plastics Center will enter the Italian plastics market together with its new sales partner Prochema Srl. Prochema has been an inte- gral part of the Italian plastics market for many decades in the areas of plastics processing machinery, extrusion and recycling, and already represents various players in the industry on the market. "With Prochema, SKZ now has a partner in the Italian market who knows the needs of potential customers, has strong ties to the plastics industry, and will actively raise the profile of SKZ in Italy in cooperation with the headquarters in Würzburg," says Matthias Ruff, au- thorized signatory and head of Sales Education & Re- search at SKZ. The new SKZ sales agency will distribute all SKZ train- ing courses – including classroom training in Germany, on-site training in Italy, live online courses from the SKZ online studio and web-based training. In the area of training, SKZ is a knowledge provider from the shop floor to C-level. SKZ's research and development servic - es also extend to the Italian plastics market. "This collaboration will help our customers to achieve and improve their goals, thanks to the structure and the technical and pedagogical skills of SKZ", says Marco Leone Zimmel, CEO of Prochema. Benjamin Baudrit, Deputy Managing Director Education & Research at SKZ, concludes: "SKZ has been active internationally for years and we have not really been present in Italy with our training activities. This is about to change!“ SKZ Plastics Center Matthias Ruff, m.ruff@skz.de www.skz.de SKZ and Prochema at the signing of the partnership agreement; from left: Matthias Ruff, authorized signatory and SKZ Sales Manager Education & Research; Marco Leone Zimmel, CEO Prochema Srl; and Dr. Benjamin Baudrit, SKZ Deputy Managing Director Education & Research (Photo: Katrin Heilig, SKZ)