“Service contract gives us peace of mind”

“It’s no good waiting until a machine breaks down, because that always comes at a bad time,” says Mark Janssen, Director of the Wijchen-based meat company called Het Vleespannetje. “Thanks to Multivac, I haven’t had a day of unnecessary downtime with my packaging machines.”

When asked what Het Vleespannetje does exactly, Janssen provides a detailed answer: “We supply many different types of meat products, with a focus on making added-value products that we proportion to order. It’s highly precise work to produce semi-finished products such as cubes or strips. One sales channel is retail, for use in meals and salads, but we also supply to wholesalers, food service and institutional customers. We also make products containing as few as possible – if any – e-numbers, less salt and less fat.”

Company growth

Het Vleespannetje was founded in 2005 and has grown strongly over the past five years. Janssen and his team recently added chicken products to the range, for example, and attained the Better Life quality mark. But the explosive growth also created practical problems. “We had one fully automatic line,” says Janssen. “So we did the large trays first, then took a break and did the small trays, and then after the second break we did the very small trays. We had to keep changing the moulds. And although it was a high-speed packaging line, we had to sort everything again at the end of the line – so there wasn’t much benefit in having a high-speed line.” And there were other concerns too. Janssen: “What if that one machine were to break down? Then I’d really have a problem! We were very dependent on it.”

Importance of service

Those concerns prompted him to investigate the possibilities for new packaging machines. “I did a lot of research online, and I also asked around among my peers,” Janssen recalls. “That led me to Multivac. The company might not be the cheapest around, but it has a good reputation and offers maintenance contracts. Service is very important because I want to avoid a situation in which the machine breaks down just before Christmas, for example. Flexibility is one of our core values, so we have to deliver on that. Now that our volumes are increasing, a service contract gives us greater peace of mind.”

‘A maintenance contract is the cheaper option in the long run’

Second-hand machine

That’s when Robert Ruesen, Account Manager at Multivac, and his colleagues became involved. Everyone was soon in agreement that the most suitable machine was the R140: a compact thermoformer that vacuum-seals every pack with a heated film. This packaging method extends the product’s shelf life; it is used for spare ribs, for example. Janssen knew exactly what he wanted and he purposefully chose a second-hand machine. “Our experts examine everything very thoroughly, of course,” states Ruesen. “Each and every component is checked and, if necessary, replaced. I can safely say that a second-hand machine from Multivac is just as good as a new one.” And Janssen can back him up on that, because his R140 hasn’t had a day of downtime so far. The few minor problems there have been could be solved remotely by phone.

Extensive maintenance

Another thing that contributes to Multivac’s quality is its extensive machine maintenance service. “We started that service around five years ago,” explains Ruesen. “Before that, we used to mainly handle repairs and didn’t do much preventive maintenance. Nowadays we offer a service contract which means, in Het Vleespannetje’s case, an on-site maintenance visit every year. Our technician inspects the machine and then prepares a quotation. Then we plan in a second appointment to replace the parts as necessary.” The parts for the R140 have been ordered and delivered and a date has been scheduled for the maintenance work. Janssen: “It’s great that it can also be done on a Saturday. That way, it doesn’t get in the way of our production activities.”

Improved operational efficiency

At Het Vleespannetje they were so pleased with Multivac and the R140 that they purchased two T200s not long afterwards. Thanks to these tray sealers, the operators no longer have to keep changing the moulds; there are now three separate lines. The company has arranged service contracts for these two machines too. “It doesn’t come cheap,” says Janssen frankly. “But the contract includes discounts on the labour costs, parts and call-out costs. If a machine were to break down just before the Christmas rush, it would cost me a lot more money, so this is the cheaper option in the long run I think.” Ruesen adds: “I know for sure that it is. Larger companies have got hard data proving that good maintenance improves their production efficiency, plus the machines have a longer useful life – 15 to 20 years isn’t unusual at Multivac.”

www.hetvleespannetje.nl 
www.multivac.com

Photo: Mark Janssen