Why service is more than an afterthought

By Kwinten Cantraine, Key Account Manager

It is Monday morning, 8:30 a.m. The warehouse is running at full speed. Trucks are unloading, conveyors are rattling, orders are being picked. Until suddenly one elevator comes to a halt. Nothing more than a minor technical malfunction, but the impact is immediate. Pallets pile up, operators have to improvise, and stress quickly mounts.

In such moments, the partner you partnered with for your intralogistics automation proves its worth. Because the question is not or a system ever shuts down, but how fast and smart your partner then intervenes. THAT is where service becomes the difference between a brief hiccup and hours of downtime.

Anyone having a new system installed, or upgrading an existing system via a smart retrofit, don't do it for the applause. You want processes to run more smoothly, are looking for extra capacity, or want your team to have more breathing room. That's what you do it for. But you only really know if it works after delivery. From then on, every detail counts: from the first sensor to the last conveyor belt.

In this sense, automation is not an end, but a beginning. It is the start of a journey in which systems must keep evolving along with the needs of your organization and the expectations of your customers, and in which service becomes the element that holds everything together.

At E'Log, we don't see service as a package or a department. It is an attitude, a form of commitment. “Service is an attitude,” we say with us, and we mean that literally. Because the way you continue to listen, improve and be available as a partner often says more than the system itself.

Service is: switching, not forwarding

That starts with reachability. If something goes wrong, you don't want to get lost in dial menus or call forwarding. You want to speak to someone who knows your system. Someone who takes you seriously and switches immediately.

That's why with us not a single call ends up in a call center. Customers get our people on the line directly: service engineers who know the installation inside out and can intervene immediately. No queues, no scripts, no detours.

Service is: preventive maintenance

By the way, you make a real difference before things go wrong. By knowing where the risks are and tailoring maintenance to the reality of the customer. No standard contracts, but maintenance schedules that take into account how intensively a system runs, at what times maintenance is possible, and how to intervene without disrupting the operation.

Our people don't just come to see if everything is still running. They observe, listen, adjust and proactively identify where things can be done smarter.

Service is: keep adjusting

Service is also optimization. A small software modification, an extra conveyor, adjusted routing: these are often details that make a big difference in flow, reliability or ease of use.

That's why we always couple maintenance with feedback. What stood out? What could be improved? That conversation often leads to new insights that we take on board immediately. This is how a system grows along with your needs, in real time.

Service is: smart management of spare parts

Fact: all parts wear out and over time they need replacement. Even then, we opt for consultation rather than surprises. We combine proactive monitoring of your system with clear spare parts planning, clear priorities, and if necessary: a targeted retrofit, on the spot.

No hasty investment, just a smart intervention that will again move the system forward for years. Without prolonged downtime.

What sticks with me is how often customers talk to us about that difference in mentality. “With you guys, I really feel like you keep thinking along.” And so it is. Because a future-proof system is more than a good start. It is a system that continues to evolve. One that can change with you tomorrow, without vendor lock-in or closed ecosystems. And which already today feels like it is moving with you.

At E'Log, automation doesn't stop at the go-live. It only begins there.