Compressed air is an important component of industrial manufacturing. It’s used in various applications, including pneumatic controls and tools, cleaning equipment, blow-offs and compressed air-operated cylinders. These applications are essential to a well-run, reliable business.
To ensure your business can provide high-quality services on demand, it’s crucial to purchase a high-quality air compressor. Perhaps even more importantly, it’s essential to select the right air compressor service provider.
Why Choosing a Service Provider Is Important When Selecting an Air Compressor
A high-quality air compressor is a vital part of meeting client demand. Maintaining and repairing one of these machines requires the expertise of an experienced and reputable service provider for air compressors. Besides impacting your company’s bottom line, choosing the right service provider can make a huge difference in a business’s ability to meet customer demand efficiently.
When purchasing a new air compressor, many companies focus on the upfront costs of the unit itself. However, one of the most important parts of buying and maintaining an air compressor is having an experienced air compressor service provider on speed dial. The right service provider can recommend a maintenance plan that prevents expensive repairs and offers cost-effective and timely solutions when equipment stops working suddenly.
What to Look for in a Service Provider
The Compressed Air Challenge® (CAC) offers basic guidelines for choosing a compressed air service provider. What is the CAC? The CAC is a collaboration designed to assist manufacturing companies in selecting and maintaining high-quality compressed air systems to meet production demand.
Composed of manufacturing companies, distributors and numerous other stakeholders, the CAC stresses the importance of working with a reputable and experienced compressed air service provider. When it comes to how to choose a compressor company, the CAC guidelines offer a blueprint for evaluating potential service providers to ensure they are a good fit for your manufacturing business.
Their key guidelines suggest several important things to consider in a service provider, including:
1. Familiarity With the System
Air compressors don’t operate as a stand-alone piece of equipment. They work in tandem with other systems to operate machinery and meet production demands every day. The service provider you select should be familiar with the air compressor and the accompanying systems used in your business.
This systems approach to compressor maintenance ensures you work with a technician who will consider the big picture whenever an issue comes up. It also helps them make sound recommendations when they provide preventative maintenance to avoid problems later on.
2. Training
The most important thing you can look for in a compressed air provider is their knowledge and experience. Technicians with experience managing and troubleshooting compressed air systems have knowledge that extends beyond the air compressor itself. They evaluate the air compressor as part of a larger operating system within your operation, and their years of experience have taught them to look beyond the surface to find the source of the problem.
When considering a service provider, ask questions about where their technicians were trained, what systems they specialize in and how familiar they are with the specific equipment your company relies on.
3. Service Availability
The last thing you need is to sign on with a company that can’t — or won’t — consider your equipment a priority. Does the provider you’re considering offer night and weekend emergency service? Do they stock the most common parts needed for unexpected repairs? No company can keep every part in stock all the time. How fast can they ship a part if it’s not already in their repair shop or on a repair van? Prompt and reasonable response times are key to providing good service.
4. Company Capabilities
Not all companies are created equal concerning the services they offer. Be sure to ask questions about:
- Shipping time for parts.
- Emergency service and response times.
- Installation capabilities.
- Familiarity with your equipment and any government certifications needed.
5. Service Facilities
Make a point to visit the brick-and-mortar location of the company you’re considering. It’s important to see their parts warehouse and repair shop to get a detailed look at their in-house capabilities. Talking with the warehouse employees can give you a better idea of what to expect for parts shipments.
The repair shop can also fill you in on their knowledge and turnaround times. Begin cultivating relationships with those “on the ground” — this may make things easier when you need to work with them later on for servicing your air compressor.
6. Ancillary Equipment
Air compressors typically operate as part of a mechanical system, providing power to the tools and equipment you need to run a business. Select a compressed air service provider who can work on more than the air compressor itself. Does the provider you’re considering have the expertise to work on refrigeration systems and dryers? Can they maintain and repair the other types of equipment in your facility? Choosing a provider with these skills will ensure comprehensive service when you need it.
7. Auditing
Does the provider offer analysis services or contract with another company who does? Analysis services and the subsequent follow-ups are designed to offer recommendations and solutions related to air quality and pressure, energy consumption, leak detection and other issues that can impact a compressor’s performance. But providing this analysis is only the first step. Opt for a provider who will follow through on the issues identified during the examination and offer sensible recommendations for improvement where needed.
8. Technology
The need to monitor equipment and schedule maintenance remotely has never been more important than it is now. When selecting a compressed air service provider, choose one with the technological capabilities to monitor your equipment from a distance. This ability ensures a rapid response while protecting your employees’ health and safety every step of the way. At Quincy Compressor, our intelligent business solutions are designed to monitor equipment and identify potential problems, ultimately preventing operational breakdowns.
Your Choice for Quality Service
When you choose Quincy Compressor for comprehensive service and repair, you’re selecting a company with nearly a century’s worth of compressed air experience to support your business. We are proud to partner with experienced service providers to support both scheduled maintenance and emergency repair needs whenever they arise.
If you find you need a replacement part or a new piece of equipment to keep operations running without interruption, Quincy’s experienced sales representatives are ready to help you through the process. Don’t spend another minute looking for an air compressor service provider. Use our Sales and Service Locator to find a Quincy representative near you.