Service imperatives

Despite the variation in the demand chain, the customer-driven key success factors for the MRO operation remained almost the same  

Minimize the capital assets tied up in stand-by units or component part spares 

As always, these imperatives seem to present conflicting pressures this is the lot of the supply chain manager. 

In all of the above cases, it is still a fact that the largest supplier of parts is the returned turbine. The problem is that in most eases one does not know the condition of the parts in the turbine until the unit has been disassembled. At that point, various dimensional and other NDT (nondestructive test) inspections are completed and identified as follows  

This picture was slightly more complex in that some of the parts that were technically recoverable could not be repaired in an appropriate time span to fit the customer redelivery date. These parts were typically repaired on a longer cycle and held in stock for those customers who would accept a certified repaired part that had been used on another turbine. 

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When purchasing GPC/SEC columns it is imperative to realize that no manufacturer has a technical edge on another. The products are analogous, with the primary difference being price. When one buys a GPC/SEC column, it is the service of gel preparation and column packing that is really purchased. We have provided the formulae and directions for the preparation of GPC gels because we do not want our customers to pay for a service that they themselves can do for less. 

Before selecting a flooring material, it is imperative to consider carefully the precise service conditions to which the floor will be subjected. Conditions that must be considered include ... 

The main difference between the two types are that the reaction products of the silico fluoride types are less soluble in water and are also harder, which may give better in-service performance but at a slightly higher material cost. However, with recent developments in floor-laying techniques, the concrete substrates for industrial floors are laid with much more dense low-porosity surfaces, so that neither silicate nor silico fluoride treatments are as effective as they used to be, when the concrete used had a slightly more open finish and hence was more receptive to these treatments. With modern concrete floors, it is imperative to wash any material not absorbed into the surface within a short period. Otherwise, unpleasant white alkaline deposits, which are difficult to remove, may occur. 

With the changing face of technology, it is imperative that service departments keep up to date with the latest practices. Training should not be restricted to any specific individual but should include engineers, technicians, craftsmen and, where appropriate, semi-skilled staff. 

Similar to reliability work, bad actors are also identified through knowledge of the machinery MTBF by type, unit and service. Resources are likely to be limited, which means we will not be able to investigate all resources that deviate from an acceptable or expected time to failure (TTF). Therefore, the next step is to carefully choose an acceptable TTF for machine breakdown, keeping these limitations in mind. We don t want to start at the top, but it is imperative that we remember to use this process to cover all failures, even if we feel we know all of the bad actors. Later, the importance of this step will become obvious because it will not be as easy for us to tell the bad actors from acceptable actors. Figure 62.3 shows the methodology of this process. 

Finally, all of the case chapters recognize customer centeredness as an imperative for successful organic growth. Each, to one degree or another, describes careful and detailed analysis of customer requirements as the primary consideration in the design of products, services, operations, supply chain dynamics, and customer support systems. 

Each of the key links in the chain—especially applicator services, formula-tors, and manufacturers-operates by its own logic and each has its own imperatives. By considering each in turn, we get a better picture of the latitude, choices, and strategies of each. We also come to better understand the profound influence that suppliers have over consumers, even while we see the pressures and contradictions that these firms face, and the way the ecology of turfgrass itself impinges on global capital investment and trade. 

Without doubt, the top-priority application of air quality models is the determination of emission controls needed to achieve ambient air quality standards. With the re-examination of transportation control strategies and with the pressures of fuel substitutions, refinements well bqrond the traditional proportional models are imperative. Where validated diffusion models are available, they should be used to recalculate the emission requirements that came from initial hasty efforts to implement the Qean Air Act Amendments of 1970. This is the greatest national service that could be performed by the air quality modelers at present. Before this can be achieved, however, the institutional apparatus must provide the impetus and resources called for in a recent National Academy of Sciences report to the U.S. Senate. 

The last couple of years have seen considerable changes in the way chemical companies manage their site services and infrastructure. Until the mid 90s, site services and infrastructure were mainly provided via a functional organization by central departments. There was often no or only little coordination or bundling of the services, with no safeguarding of overall responsibility. Budget adherence was the key imperative. The relationship between the service units and the production plants was characterized by ... 

Cost allocation schemes were replaced by more flexible service contracts that made costs and services rendered much more transparent. These contracts range from more traditional time- and mate-rials-based arrangements to full service agreements, where the service providers and their customers agree on certain output parameters such as uptime/plant performance rather than on input parameters such as maintenance cost. Price negotiations with the customers became the key imperative of this transition phase. 

The current increase in the need for public health services comes at a time when the national public health infrastructure has been weakened by years of financial neglect. While the public health workforce has always provided for community disasters, the level of preparedness called for by the terrorist attacks on 9/11 necessitates training on a new and different level. The times in which we now live make it imperative that public health nursing keep pace with the demand for skills in the disaster and emergency response arenas. 

If an organization can hx its position on the life cycle curve (S curve), and it has a sense of the slope of the curve, it has an excellent mechanism for determining where its technology is headed, and it can also determine the relative rapidity of that movement. Understanding this dynamic yields unique insights on how to direct product/service development and R D processes, as well as how to proactively align core competencies with new technology imperatives. 

The services of the medical information group are also used by internal customers, that is, other departments within the pharmaceutical company. The group supports internal customers in the same fashion as external ones. The communication with the field sales force is extremely important. It is imperative to impress upon sales representatives the limits of their ability to answer questions. Questions that include information outside the package insert should be referred to the medical information group. 

Once in the consumer s hands, food must provide the expected nutrients during its shelf life. Furthermore, food must be handled properly to prevent contamination. Unfortunately, the home and food service setting are the most common places for food mishandling. Thus the process that is taken for granted as both simple and imperative is anything but. 

Being able to understand and anticipate the needs of the customer will be imperative in the new competitive MPF market. All leading MPF service providers will emphasize closer customer relationships as one of their priorities, and will employ modern IT systems to support customer relationship management. 

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