Support is More than “Just Insurance”

Thinking Outside the Box – An 
Opportunity for Synergy

Most operations struggle to maintain an effective balance between support, maintenance and 
improvement services resulting in conflicts for capital expenditure and operating budgets and an “either – or” mindset. But, by taking a more holistic view, and focusing on the common goal, there is an opportunity to integrate these efforts to drive longer term business value.

Support, maintenance and improvement services are typically managed as unrelated parts of the operations puzzle. But they all have one thing in common – they all support the ongoing performance of your operation. What if you could link them together? Integrating these elements of operations support can create synergy, producing higher returns on your overall investment.

This perspective effectively changes the meaning of “support”, moving it beyond reactionary technical support and “downtime insurance” to a definition that includes sustaining and improving operational performance.

By integrating performance improvement services with maintenance and support services, you can leverage the resources, skills and technology of your support service provider and derive tangible benefits.

Support is More than “Just Insurance”

The first thing to understand is that, when talking about Support, it’s not about “just insurance”. A formal Support Agreement does provide essential “insurance” – ensuring that problems will be addressed as your business demands. This form of support is a critical element in protecting and maintaining your production assets.

Stay tuned for the next blog post “An integrated approach to Support, Services and Maintenance delivers greater business value than the sum of its parts”  that will illustrate how by integrating a broader perspective on Support with Performance Improvement Services and proactive Maintenance, companies can drive greater Operational performance, and greater business value.

Source: Wonderware.com, White paper: Support – A Competitive Weapon (Brian Courchesne)

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