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Velmon digitalizes service and manages machines more efficiently with FieldBuddy
insight into every technician
faults reported directly by customers
timesheets
- Preventive Maintenance
- Inventory Management
- Service Contracts
- Asset management
- Checklist
- Digital Work Orders
- Maintenance
- Installation
- AFAS
Challenges
- Manual registration of travel time, mileage and hours
- Customers had no way to report faults themselves
- Large clients required a transparent service process
Solutions
- Mobile app for fully digital registration
- QR code portal on customers' machines
- Real-time insight into technician locations and workload
Benefits
- No more manual processing of work orders
- QR portal became a contractual requirement at the Ministry of Defence
- More time for personal customer contact
About Velmon
Revisie has to stay ahead in the machine maintenance market. So the company based in Heemskerk asked for our help with automation. Because maintaining and repairing metalworking and woodworking machines had to be smarter, right? We spoke with operational director Hans Meijer about what our partnership has brought them, and how they use our QR code portal.
Technicians across the Netherlands
Velmon Service en Revisie is part of Velmon Group, a metalworking company founded in 1999 that offers structural work, machine supply, maintenance and repairs. The subsidiary focuses on that last part. When you become a Velmon Service en Revisie customer, you can count on your machines being well maintained.
A fantastic team of specialists is available around the clock to maintain, inspect, repair or secure your metalworking and woodworking machines. Hans: “There’s a lot involved. Our technicians travel all over the country for a wide range of clients. Since January 2022, I’ve been operational director and I’m responsible for overseeing all of this. Fortunately, I’ve built up a solid base of knowledge and experience in the mechanical engineering and maintenance world over the course of my career. What I enjoy most about my role is improving processes making work better for everyone.”
Automation as a necessity
Hans explains that the company is known for its quality of service. “That’s what really sets us apart. Automation in machine maintenance is still relatively unfamiliar territory. Digital work orders are becoming more common, but most companies don’t go much further than that. That’s exactly why we want to lead the way and drive change. For us, automation is essential. So around a year and a half ago in 2020, we brought in FieldBuddy.
Since then, a large part of our work has been digitalized. Technicians log everything through the FieldBuddy Go mobile app: from the moment they leave until the next job. So you always know exactly when someone departed, how many kilometres they drove, how long their break was and when the job was completed.
Quotes and invoices are sent easily through the software, and our administration team no longer has to process or check work orders and timesheets. Work planners can also schedule much more easily, because they can see exactly who is working where. It saves our people an enormous amount of time, and the work reports for clients look a lot more professional.”
QR code portal
Alongside our service management software, Velmon also uses our QR code portal. “This extra feature lets us really show our added value to customers. In fact, it became a requirement in our current contract with the Ministry of Defence. The armed forces use all kinds of machines that need to be operational at all times.
So we put a QR sticker on their machines. Anyone at the Ministry of Defence can scan it to log in to the FieldBuddy portal and check the maintenance status, or report a fault on the spot. All notifications are sent directly to their location in Utrecht, where a signal is passed on to us. We can immediately see which asset is involved, and the right technician is scheduled in no time. Managing all the equipment becomes much easier this way. Machines hold no secrets for us anymore.”
Plans for the future
The implementation process took a little longer than planned due to COVID-19, but Hans is certainly positive about our partnership. “The communication runs smoothly, and I can bring my work planner along to meetings so he can ask all his questions directly. If there’s something to improve, I simply submit a ticket to the service desk, which is quick to pick things up.
My technicians are also well involved in the change process. During team meetings, the FieldBuddy account manager joins us so he can answer questions directly, without me always having to be the go-between.
Many of our clients are now using the QR code portal, and I’m looking forward to rolling it out to the rest. I always mention it to new clients. It’s a genuine added value. I also want to start using the FieldBuddy service portal soon. That way, our clients will have a clear overview of the status of all the machines we manage. I’m already excited about that next step, and I would definitely recommend FieldBuddy as a partner.”
