Entrematic is now providing service technicians a better way of accessing Serco brand product maintenance information during on-site service calls
Rapidly disappearing are the “old school” days of technicians hauling around numerous (and often outdated) product service manuals, or relying on end users for manuals that often get lost or misplaced. Technicians can now quickly access the maintenance information specific to that product digitally using only one smart device.
Key to one of the company’s latest innovations is the QR (quick response) code — or optical matrix barcode label — that is so common in consumer advertising. The Entrematic QR code project applies to all new Serco brand dock levelers, trailer restraints and TKO® impactable dock doors.
When a technician needs to access the most current product maintenance information in the field, he’s now able to use a QR coder reader/scanner app on his smart phone or tablet. The technician simply scans a QR code that’s laser-etched into the product’s black laminated metal identification plate.
The technician can then view and reference a variety of product information including the manual specific to that product, model number, size and capacity data, date of manufacture and an operation instruction sheet (for replacement wall placards that become lost or damaged).
High-impact green initiative
“The QR code project is not only an important time saver for service personnel, it’s also a high-impact green initiative for the company as it transitions away from including product manuals with every single product shipment,” says Richard Hoofard, Director of Engineering, Entrematic.
Hoofard adds that while the QR code project will dramatically reduce the amount of paper the company consumes (product manuals average about 50 pages each), it will also have a significant impact on the number of calls that the company’s technical services group fields daily.
For older installed equipment, all legacy manuals are being added to the Serco website so technicians have access to those as well. Upon request, the Entrematic technical services group will send a hyperlink to the technician’s smart phone so he can immediately access the correct manual.
Quick install guides to replace product manuals
In addition, the QR code project includes replacing Serco product manuals in every product shipment with a 24-inch by 36-inch quick install guide. The guide, which contains the installation and commissioning information for each product, also features a QR code to link the guide to the corresponding product manual.
And in the fourth quarter, each dock equipment master control panel will include a metal QR code plate on the inside. The code will then link to the latest electrical system schematic in case the schematic that is included with each control panel is ever missing.
“I’m really excited about the QR code project and expect that including QR codes in master control panels for schematic access may have the biggest impact of all,” Hoofard points out. “I’m also personally pleased that so much wasted use of paper that would otherwise become lost or thrown away will be eliminated.”