Do you get the most value from technical site support?

The relationship with many drill consumable product suppliers ends when the customer receives the goods onsite. Many suppliers do not offer the value add of onsite technical support, whether it be a free or a charged-out service. So, what is the added value that onsite technical support offers to drill and blast departments?

There are many benefits to having drilling consumable technical representatives frequently visit site. Generally, technical representatives have been in the drill and blast industry for a number of years, they have drilled on multiple rigs, in varying ground conditions and with numerous applications (Rotary, DTH, THH, RC, Diamond, Waterwell). They bring their vast experiences and prior knowledge to your business. Their job as a technical representative requires travel between multiple clients, sites, and across numerous resources (iron ore, coal, gold,nickel etc). Above all, they keep a professional level of confidentiality.

If your site is experiencing drilling difficulties, unusual consumable wear, premature failures and increased drilling costs, the chances are a technical representative has seen the same issues somewhere else. But more importantly, they would have seen different resolutions to these issues. The solution to your problem, could be standing right in front of you.

In the circumstance where a representative cannot get to site, chances are they are part of a greater team who they can call upon to assist with problem solving solutions. By sharing your situation with your technical representative, a whole team of experts will be working in the background to help get your operation back on track with productivity.‍

Regular visits will lower the risk of unexpected consumable failures. Technical representatives are able to identify devaluating drilling practices and offer instant recommendations and instruction, including:

· Best practices with regards to drilling parameters

· Adjustments required when changing between different diameter drilling

· Drill consumable awareness; when to discard consumables

· How over running consumables can lead to other component failures

· Understanding the manufacturing process which leads to proper care and maintenance

Technical representatives are part of their company’s Research and Development team as they are the evidence and feedback collectors for product improvement. By completing regular analysis on dull drill bits and used hammers and pipe, a record of failures is compiled, with high reoccurring failures then becoming the focus for improvement. Technical representatives are the means of communication between your site and the factory. They are the first step in the cycle to making changes specific to your site.

The more time people in your operation spend with the technical representatives, the stronger the relationship becomes between the supplier and the consumer. They will come to personally care about your operation, your people and your problems.

Technical visits are a proactive service to maximise product performance and minimise unexpected downtime.