The key to successful maintenance

The role of maintenance manager

The role of maintenance manager at Van Hool was mainly focused on the maintenance of CNC machines and the Valk Welding welding robot systems. “Preventive maintenance is crucial,” says Reusen. “The technical file must be in order, spare parts must be available, and there must be good maintenance planning. An important aspect here has always been the close cooperation with Valk Welding,” says Reusen. “As a supplier of the welding robot systems, Valk Welding has the expertise needed to properly maintain the welding robots.”

Technological advancements and maintenance challenges

Van Hool solved most malfunctions themselves, except when it came to complex electronic or software problems. Valk Welding took care of the annual maintenance, with someone from Valk Welding present for three weeks a year to check all machines preventively. Initially, Van Hool carried out the maintenance themselves, but as the systems became more complex and the number of systems increased, Valk Welding’s expertise became necessary to ensure quality. Over the past thirty years, Reusen has seen significant technological changes. “Now everything is digital and connected via networks. This evolution has drastically changed the way maintenance is performed.”

Reusen praises Valk Welding’s service, especially the willingness of the technicians to share knowledge. “It is important that our technicians understand how the machines work,” he says. “The personal contacts and quick responses from the entire Valk Welding service team was crucial to our success.” Among others, Wil Bos, service engineer at Valk Welding, played a key role in this knowledge transfer. “Wil Bos was a golden guy,” says Reusen. “When he was there, we learned a lot. He took the time to explain everything, from A to Z, so that we could do it ourselves next time. This ensured that our technicians remained interested in the welding robots and were always willing to learn.”

Crucial importance of regular maintenance and cleaning

Keeping installations and the work environment clean is crucial for efficient production. “The importance of cleaning must be carried throughout the company,” explains Reusen. “If you regularly maintain and clean an installation, it is not much work. But if you don’t do it for two or three years, it becomes a huge task.” Planned downtime for maintenance is much better than unplanned downtime due to malfunctions. “By working with planned downtime, there is no loss of time, and you can coordinate the maintenance, for example, with the operator’s vacation, while unplanned downtime always causes loss. Many people don’t think about it. They only focus on production, but maintenance should be as natural as pressing the start button,” says Reusen.

Trained personnel

Reusen advises companies with a Valk Welding system to ensure that their employees are well trained and understand the machines. This facilitates communication with Valk Welding’s service department because they know exactly what they are talking about. Training these people, regardless of the type of installation, is essential. Reusen looks back on his career at Van Hool with satisfaction. “The constant communication and annual evaluations with Valk Welding have helped us to continuously improve,” he says. “I am proud of what we have achieved.”