Some time ago, one of our customers called about a gearbox that had developed a problem. The warranty period had ended.
Our policy is clear. Service outside the warranty period is chargeable, except where the cause is a manufacturing defect. Then we fix it free of charge, whatever the age of the machine.
This case was not a manufacturing defect.
When our engineers opened the unit, the cause was clear. The customer had fitted a locally made bearing in place of the one we recommend. With the recommended bearing, this problem would not have arisen. In our original design, oil reached the bearing, and the substitute couldn’t handle it.
So this was a paid repair under our policy. The warranty had expired, and a non-recommended part had been used. We would have been fully within our rights to send a quotation.
We chose not to.
We asked ourselves: what if the next customer makes the same substitution? Bearings get replaced in the field, often with whatever is available locally. We wanted our gearbox to cope with that reality.
Our R&D team redesigned the input casing so that oil no longer comes into contact with the bearing. The gearbox now works reliably with any make of bearing, not only the recommended one. One customer’s problem made the product more forgiving for everyone who comes after.
I don’t count a sale as the end of our responsibility. It’s the beginning of the relationship.
A gearbox sits at the heart of your machine. When it stops, your production stops, your delivery commitments slip, and your customers start asking you questions. A manufacturer who disappears on the day the warranty expires leaves you to deal with that alone.
We stay beside our customers long after delivery. Many of them have worked with us for over a decade, and I believe this is the main reason.
If you are a purchase manager, design engineer or OEM director choosing a planetary gearbox supplier, the price on the quotation is only part of what you pay for. The rest is what happens in year three, five or ten, when something goes wrong and you need a supplier who will pick up the phone and help you solve it.
With Precision Gear Transmissions, you get a gearbox built to a high standard and a team that goes beyond the warranty when it matters. That is why our customers are comfortable paying a little more, and why they stay.
Looking for a planetary gearbox partner who stands by you after the sale? Talk to us.