When a hydraulic valve failed on one of Echo Engineering & Production Supplies’ die-cutting machines, Jason Semmler, Project Manager at Echo, found himself in a 'machine down' situation…
“We were losing money every hour we could not use the machine,” Jason explains, “but the machine was old and I was concerned I would not be able to find the replacement part I needed.”
Echo partners with customers to develop, manufacture and supply meaningful masking, connecting, fastening, NVH and sealing solutions. The Indianapolis-based company prides itself on its customer focus and the ingenuity and innovation of its team.
The machine in question was used to make custom die-cut masking components for paint shops and powder coating companies. With multiple orders due for production, and orders arriving every day, it was important to act quickly.
The confidence to make the call
Jason explains, “The part that had failed was on an older machine. We had bought the machine used, so we did not have spare parts. It was a European machine and its age meant I was not confident about getting a suitable replacement.”
Jason began a search online to try to find a replacement hydraulic valve. “I’d done a lot of searching and I couldn’t find it anywhere,” Jason remembers. “I’d passed over eight or ten companies because their website didn’t give me confidence they could help. When, after a lucky click, I landed on Hydraulics Online, I could see they worked with a vast supply base. The website had a lot of good quality information and I felt very confident about making the call to them.”
Impressive product knowledge
Jason reached out to Hydraulics Online to see if a suitable replacement hydraulic valve could be found.
“I told them from the get-go that the part is difficult to find, but they reassured me. Kyle had an extensive knowledge of the supplier base and their product lines. He was fantastic; very knowledgeable and he took the time to find out what I needed.”
Jason emailed over some photos of the broken hydraulic valve as well as some photos of the machine and the part on which the valve was mounted. He says:
“Hydraulics Online knew what I needed just by looking at the photos. They seemed to know all the right questions to ask. I thought it would take two or three days for them to come back to me with a potential replacement, but they had called me back within an hour and emailed me a quote. I was very surprised and pleased it had turned around that quickly.”
Rapidly back in production
Hydraulics Online sent the quote over to Jason on the Monday afternoon. He immediately called to make payment and place the order.
“It was extremely easy, fast and efficient. The process and experience were so good, there’s no way I could be happier,” enthuses Jason.
The experience was a far cry to the other suppliers Jason had looked at online. The next best option had been a part that was used and that the supplier wasn’t sure would work.
“Some companies didn’t even bother to reply to me,” remembers Jason, “The only other option gave me no reassurance the part would work. It was used. It was more expensive. And it came with a ten-day to twelve-day lead time.”
By contrast, the part from Hydraulics Online was brand new and came with a two-day delivery option.
Jason says, “I put the order in on Monday and I received the part on Wednesday. I was extremely happy. It worked perfectly. It was an identical part, so it just needed a straight swap. It was a fifteen-minute process. We started the machine back up and it worked perfectly. And it’s been in production, two shifts a day, five days a week ever since.”
Looking to the future
Echo had been using an alternative machine in the interim, so no customers were inconvenienced. However, it isn’t as efficient as the machine that went down, so the production team were very pleased to have the older machine back in operation. They are now planning to keep a back stock of the hydraulic parts to avoid future incidences of downtime on the ageing machine.
I was absolutely impressed with Hydraulics Online,” states Jason, “They are professional and easy to work with. They did a great job and the shipping was phenomenal. It was a fantastic experience. Whenever I have a hydraulics requirement again in the future, they will be the first company I call.
Whether you’ve got a machine down today, like Jason, or you’re designing solutions for tomorrow, we’re a hydraulics ‘hub’, offering thousands of possibilities… how can we help?
