The devil is in the detail
August 1st 2011 Jeff Aylott, head of after sales at Linde MH (UK) looks at key considerations for
operators when taking out a service contract on a forklift fleet
As more and more business operators come under pressure
to drive down their logistics costs, choosing the right
service contract for a forklift fleet is vital.
Forklift maintenance and the quality of engineers that service
forklifts can have a much greater impact on a company's bottom
line than many give credit for.With the right service contract in
place, customers can maximise return on their capital and hedge
against equipment failure from inadequate truck maintenance
provision. Having insufficient service provision in place can
increase a firm's risk of truck downtime, and lead to expensive
truck repairs.
Hence, when operators make the decision to buy a forklift
truck, they consider the lifetime cost of the truck, not just the
upfront purchase price. And a vital component of this cost is, of
course, servicing and repair costs.
While the majority of operators will choose to take out a full
service contract to provide the benefits of predictable monthly
costs, avoiding unexpected surprises, it is also vital that the
credibility of the service provider is also carefully explored. An
obvious point, but the devil really is in the detail. It's essential that
operators read the contract terms and conditions carefully as it
can have significant impact on the lifetime truck cost. Consider:
1 What are the return conditions?
2 What level of repair or rectification is down to the operator at
the end of the contract?
3 Is there a standard tyre condition on return?
4 What will the supplier consider as reasonable wear and tear
against chargeable damage?
5 Beware of hidden extras such as penalties for out of hours or
travel costs.
6 Are truck technicians properly trained and do they have
access to correct diagnostic tools and up to date technical
information?
7 Are they competent in terms of health & safety and are they
adequately insured for on-site working?
The key to a good service and maintenance package is to deal
with a company which proactively works with its customers to
design and deliver maintenance and repair plans which are
precisely suited to their needs.
At Linde, we offer a comprehensive range of operator support
packages – all of which can be linked to a lease finance agreement.
All packages are based on a set of sound principles.We work to
reduce operator cost; we only use genuine original equipment
parts; we deploy fully trained and competent engineers and we
don't sneak in hidden contract
clauses. More articles from Linde Material Handling (UK) Ltd: | 
