Product category:
Form/co-ordinate, optical and vision instrumentation
News Release from: LK
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 28 September 2005
Customer support service to OEMs is
expanded
Metrology solutions company LK Group has expanded the customer support service that it provides to OEMs and subcontractors worldwide.
Metrology solutions company LK Group has expanded the customer support service that it provides to OEMs and subcontractors worldwide CEO Charlie Edgington said: "I believe we have a technological lead in CMM construction, but software and customer support is what really differentiates a machine supplier these days"
Since its formation in 1963, LK has prided itself on providing a high level of service.
It was the first CMM company to set up a dedicated telephone helpdesk and online support in 2000.
More recently, it was the first metrology company to have a remote system monitoring capability built into the latest LK controllers, allowing detailed analysis of a customer's use of the CMM and accurate prediction of preventative maintenance requirements.
Charlie Edgington continued: "LK's strength is its ability to offer customised service packages to suit our customers".
"Rather than supplying a prescribed list of services from a fixed palette of options, LK evolves a two-way partnership with its customers".
"We stay with our customers and support them to find the best solutions for their particular measuring requirement".
LK actively promotes its service and support capabilities, not only to the 3000 companies worldwide operating LK machines, but to users of other vendors' CMMs as well.
Core disciplines fall into four main areas: subcontract inspection of customers' commponents; programming of inspection routines plus the design and manufacture of fixtures so that users can perform the quality control function themselves; calibration and error correction of CMMs; and modernisation of existing machines in the field by retrofitting new drives, controller and LK CAMIO DMIS-based software.
A particular growth area is subcontract inspection, carried out either at the customer's site or at LK's premises.
It is a reflection of the appeal within manufacturing of outsourcing the metrology function, owing to the increasing complexity of inspection and the consequent rising cost of employing staff in-house.
Companies frequently helped by LK are those whose quality control department workloads have suddenly increased and/or whose results are needed more quickly.
Scanning and reverse engineering, full graphical reporting and statistical process control are all offered.
Digital probing and analogue scanning using the Renishaw SP25 probing system are employed, as well as non-contact scanning using single- and cross-scanners from Metris.
A further service regularly provided by LK is the calibration of its own and other CMMs.
LK is certified by UKAS, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, an independent body that approves LK and others to calibrate any measuring machine to CMMA/ISO10360/VDI/B98 standards, which are recognised worldwide.
Programming inspection routines for the customer to use is another element of the quality control function that is often subcontracted to LK.
Again, the service can be provided at the customer's premises or at East Midlands Airport.
Based on anything from a 2D drawing to a solid CAD model in virtually any format, a measuring program is written that may be run immediately by the customer to inspect a component.
Alternatively, the user can carry out the programming off-line and use a modem link to LK, or the telephone help desk so that LK engineers can troubleshoot any problems.
Completing the company's customer support activities is the continuation of established, more traditional practices including consultancy and management of turnkey projects, operator and programmer training, emergency callout, service contracts for preventative maintenance, machine relocation and provision of spares.
It is all about helping the customer to compress time-to-market and maintain a competitive edge by ensuring that its concurrent engineering does not fall behind in the quality department.
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