Local support brings time and cost savings
Where UK aftersales support for rail drives from the manufacturer is unavailable from the original manufacturer, the units have to be returned to repair centres elsewhere in Europe, often keeping them out of service for two months or longer.
By contrast, ZF Aftermarket can have them back into service within weeks, bringing the operator considerable cost and turnaround benefits without compromising quality. Employing specialist technical procurement, using just-in-time’ (JIT) processes to ‘telescope’ leadtimes, and committing the necessary technicians to each task are just some of the ways that ZF Aftermarket ensures requested turnaround times are met. In this way, an operator’s entire fleet can be confidently scheduled into the ZF Aftermarket workshop for maintenance in line with the customer’s demands.
A business relationship that breeds trust
Holding detailed records of all ZF-rail drives in the UK, ZF Aftermarket can contact fleets well in advance of expected maintenance deadlines to assist them with planning. A condition assessment is undertaken enabling the true rather than theoretical point of overhaul to be established. Experience has shown that ZF Aftermarkets’ assessment can enable the first overhaul mileage to be safely extend by up to 50% in some cases, significantly reducing the operator’s maintenance costs. This is not only testament to the quality of the product but also highlights the value of ZF Aftermarket forging a trusting relationship with the customer.
An outstanding reliability record
High quality, dependable rail drives are a vital requirement for rail operators if they are to avoid the severe financial penalties imposed by rail regulators if a scheduled service is not provided. Warranty costs on Nottingham overhauled ZF-rail drives in 2010 was zero,confirming that the reliability of ZF drives and ZF Aftermarket’ overhauls is extremely high.
Remanufacturing and repair
ZF Aftermarket is committed to environmentally sensitive remanufacturing, minimising carbon footprint and conserving raw materials. During the remanufacturing process for ZF’s products, ZF Aftermarket factory-trained technicians strip the worn unit to component level, the individual parts are washed, measured and tested to assess their ability to complete another lifecycle. Worn parts are recycled for raw materials recycling, while components that meeting the necessary criteria are remanufactured to within the original tolerances and placed into stock for re-use. The unit is then rebuilt according to the latest specifications. Where components are not available from remanufactured stock, new OE items are supplied to complete the assembly.
Certain specific wear items are always replaced with new OE parts where experience shows this to be critical to the rebuilt units ‘second life’. as a matter of course. Where the product incorporates electronic control, software is updated to the latest release. Finally, the assembly is performance tested to the same criteria as for a new unit and warranted before release to the market.
For product lines where remanufacturing is not viable or there is negligible market demand, ZF Aftermarket can provide repair services or the necessary components.