W. MÜLLER Introduces New Service Initiatives for 2023

Spare part packages, rebate programs, maintenance contracts, retrofits and conversion kits, refurbishments are now offered by W. MÜLLER, in addition to their sampling services, ensuring longevity and peak performance for their extrusion blow molding (EBM) equipment.

W. MÜLLER, a global leader in mono and multi-layer EBM equipment and expertise to the blow molding industry, is pleased to announce its new service initiatives for 2023 as well as introducing its Director of Aftermarket and Service, Mario Jardin. Mr. Jardin and his Team have been developing these new programs for commercialization since he started with the company last July.

Introducing Mario Jardin, Director of Aftermarket and Service

Mario Jardin, Director of Aftermarket & Service

Mario Jardin is a Balthasar-Neumann-Technikum Trier, Fachschule für Technik (Engineering School) graduate and has worked for more than 10 years in extrusion blow molding and other industries. Jardin joined the W. MÜLLER EBM technology team in July 2022 and has been using his extensive background and skills to develop and achieve W. MÜLLER’s 2023 Service Initiatives. He previously held positions in managing field service and after market activities for Kautex Machines.

“Our robust products perform for decades in the marketplace, but we saw a need to develop a complete service offering that would ensure the highest performance from our equipment,” says Jens Schlueter, President of W. MÜLLER USA. “Mario’s expertise has been integral in the development of our new program offering – that has so far been very well received by the market.”

As a technology leader, the company supplies all essential equipment, in contact with the melt flow, for a blow molding machine, whether it is a new machine or retrofitting an existing one; they offer customized extrusion die heads, extruders and control systems. As part of its 2023 service initiatives, W. MÜLLER is now offering comprehensive options that include: Spare Part Packages, Maintenance Contracts, Rebate Programs, Refurbishments, and Retrofits.

As Mr. Jardin states, “These programs are born from the long-standing relationships we have built with our client base and our ability to consistently support their processing goals. We have a significant installed base in the Americas, and our service offering ensures them the highest performance from our equipment. If you are not taking care of your customers, your competitors will!”

“We have realized that the service offering within the EBM Industry is widely operating in a rather reactive than proactive approach. We want to change that. For ours, but also the customer’s peace of mind and overall equipment efficiency (OEE). Nobody likes emergencies and we want to ensure that the customers are equipped with the right Spare Parts for when they need them, and we want to know which parts show wear long before it is too late.  I like to use the analogy to your personal car. You don’t buy a brand-new car and then run it until something breaks. You get notified by a signal lamp in the dashboard and then bring it to the shop,” Jardin adds.

Spare Part Packages

Spare part packages offer blow molding customers independence on long lead times and an opportunity to stay ahead of the supply chain issues and benefit from less unscheduled downtime. This results in reduced risk of production losses as well as improved equipment reliability and overall performance. It reduces the emergency spare parts procurement.

Maintenance Contracts

Maintenance contracts are another 2023 addition to W. MÜLLER’s service offerings, providing customers with a choice between planned downtime vs. unplanned. In response to the perpetual labor issues facing many clients, these contracts help fill that gap. The maintenance contracts make budgeting easier and offer customers expert technical and emergency support as needed. Some additional benefits include:

• Earlier countermeasures possible
• Increased equipment reliability
• Significant savings of up to 31% vs. non-contract inspection
• Reduced rates for repair services

“The W. MÜLLER team is an amazing service partner for our company,” says Brian Johnson, General Manager – Engineering, Midwest Can. “Their service is the best in business and is integral in keeping our operations at peak performance. We currently have three 6-layer co-extrusion heads that have been successfully running for the past three years. They were retrofitted from the OEM with a direct Plug & Play install.  We are currently looking to retrofit more in the coming years.”

Refurbishments

Refurbished equipment offers improved performance, efficiency and energy savings and also renews the company warranty as the customer will be awarded with an “As-New Performance” certificate.

As Jardin states: “We have equipment out there that is running reliably for decades, some more than 30 years. We have customers that enthusiastically title those die heads as their best performers. However, with time comes wear and contamination, and it is a good idea to invest in a refurbishment. We are confident that the equipment will be then be able to run even another 30 years, after it has been at our facility in Agawam. That is why we award the customer with the above-mentioned certificate, along with a renewed warranty.”  The company recommends prescheduling the refurbishment several months ahead, so that they can have all needed parts on-site, before the head arrives. That ensures the quickest turnaround times, which decreases the cost of lost production to a minimum. Not needed parts will be shipped as spare parts along with the head.

Alternatively, customers can send their head for a cleaning and inspection to the company if they are uncertain that the equipment needs a full refurbishment. W. MÜLLER will order parts based on the assessment and share pictures and a full report of the findings with each customer.

The company will also refurbish outdated controls of the Equipment, to ensure part availability when it is needed.

Retrofits

W. MÜLLER also offers a retrofit service that will transform existing machinery from mono to multilayer application ready.  The retrofit services provide the following:

• Increased equipment life cycle
• New opportunities – Mono to Multilayer
• Whole extrusion from ‘the same house.’
• New die head and extruders vs. new machine
• Improved process visibility
• Increased efficiency and energy savings

Lab Services

W. MÜLLER offers lab services to help customers run sampling jobs and free up their production equipment. They offer a wide variety of processing capabilities.  The W. MÜLLER lab can help with sampling, material testing, small scale production and critical support for new and future developments such as the increasingly popular changeover from virgin materials to PCR materials.

W. MÜLLER’s 2023 service initiatives will help support the blow molding industry further and pave the way for more accessible applications and solutions.