Archive and Content Search
Glaston Corp.’s service segment is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The department was founded in 1983 by Karl Lenhardt of Lenhardt Maschinenbau GmbH. The team offers lifecycle support with original spare parts, continuous maintenance, upgrades, and more.
According to Glaston officials, the idea to create a service department was based on the need to alleviate the workload of the construction team. Pictured: the original service team. Photo courtesy of Glaston.
According to officials, the idea to create a service department was based on the need to alleviate the workload of the construction team. Customers who experienced machine problems or needed spare parts contacted Glaston’s construction department, tying up workers.
The department’s start wasn’t easy, however. Sales director Elmar Volkert says technological challenges hampered the team’s ability to communicate with customers in a timely manner.
“Every Friday by 2 p.m., I gave our commercial manager a list of the following week’s installations,” he says. “Then, we informed our customers using landlines. If we couldn’t contact them on Friday afternoon before the weekend, we would have to try again on Monday while some of our fitters were already on their way to the facilities.”
Volkert adds during busy periods, he would drive to the customer’s location to service the machines over the weekend and return to work on Monday at 7 a.m. Fortunately, the department started offering teleservice and transmitted programs in the late 1980s.
“Today’s communication options and online tools have helped us make a quantum leap, making our work much easier and allowing us to connect to our customer’s machines much faster,” says Volkert.
