Goss service plan wins with major UK web printers

A year after the launch of its Flexible Value Service Plan, Goss International said it has been praised by UK web offset printers and won new contracts.

Some of those contracts are for of up to five years.

Goss said that the Flexible Value Service Plan allows printers to buy a bank of service hours at discounted rates, on an annual basis.

Banked hours are redeemable against a numbers of services, including routine maintenance and emergency services, which are all backed by a Goss International warranty.

Among the UK customers of the service plan in the commercial sector are Southernprint, the Alderson Print Group and Westdale Press.

Southernprint, part of the Wyndeham Group, started using the service at the beginning of 2009 and the company has renewed its contract.

The company's managing director, Paul Toms, explained: 'It has not only allowed us to spread costs across the year but also plan downtime at our own convenience rather than being governed by production.

Press interventions are far from convenient during a heavy production schedule, but on the other hand, spending money on maintenance when your press isn't running at full capacity is not ideal either.

It's a tricky balancing act.

The Flexible Value Service Plan eradicates those problems and makes services available when we want them.

A specialist in medium-run to long-run magazine and commercial printing, Southernprint is based in Poole, Dorset.

Its press line-up includes a Goss Sunday 4000 press and two 32-page Goss M-850 presses.

Southernprint has fully serviced all three presses using banked service hours.

Toms commented 'This service plan is definitely the way ahead if you have a planned preventative maintenance philosophy.

We've made good use of the service, tapping into Goss International's global resources, by scheduling downtime in advance, and we're planning more interventions for later in the year.

Having the facility to think ahead and deal with potential issues before they can become a breakdown, makes for good business.

Alderson Print Group, which has two Goss M-600 presses printing to ISO12647 colour standards, opted for the Flexible Value Service Plan in February this year, committing to a five-year agreement.

According to group managing director Andy Campbell, Goss International has gone the extra mile in adding value to the Plan.

Campbell said: 'We have worked tirelessly to achieve what we believe is the best-quality web offset print in the country.

In our experience, the Goss team is top in its class, committed to investing in research and technology to ensure the company stays there.

And with such high-tech presses, we feel it's important to employ that expertise to maintain them in peak condition.

As with all businesses, any assistance with cash-flow is an advantage, spreading payments over a 12-month period is an additional value to us, especially when it is at such an affordable price.

In addition to the Flexible Value Service Plan, Alderson Print Group has invested in a two-year consumable parts service.

Goss International provides a consignment of parts, which are stored on-site at Alderson, and audits and replenishes the stock regularly at a discounted rate.

Consumable parts include items such as oil filters and jaw blades.

Peter Banks, customer service manager at Goss International, said: 'Good value and flexibility doesn't stop at the Flexible Value Service Plan.

We initiated the new consumable parts service because it was identified as an excellent way to provide extra value - helping presses to run at optimal levels at an affordable rate.

This applies to all our existing services too.

Cardiff, Wales, Westdale Press started using Goss Lifetime Support services in 2007 in the form of a service agreement and extended warranty to support day-to-day running and maintenance of its M-600 press.

The warranty agreement has been further extended for another year as part of the Flexible Value Service Plan programme and includes consumable parts with planned maintenance every three months.

Dean Pike, deputy managing director, at Westdale, commented: 'The web market is becoming much more competitive.

Customers require quicker turn-arounds with more emphasis on quality, and there is greater requirement for recognised and audited standards when trying to attract new customers.

Continual monitoring and maintenance of our own customer service and quality control procedure is essential in helping us achieve and maintain our accreditations.

As the original equipment manufacturer, Goss International has the best knowledge of the press, and their warranty offers excellent value.

We are always able to make contact with a Goss technician when required which is vital when you're running a 24/7 plant.

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