Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
It shouldn't surprise professionals: proper maintenance of equipment extends its life. The same goes for machine controls. Joey Avivi, support specialist at Topcon with twenty years of experience in service and maintenance, knows literally everything there is to know about GPS equipment. He explains what a service contract entails and -even better- gives you tips and tricks to get started with maintenance yourself.
Joey Avivi began at age 17e in the Service Department where he repaired parts and quickly developed expertise in GPS. Now he is one of the men on Topcon's support team. Every day he remotely helps key users (those ultimately responsible for the equipment) and end users, including machine operators, when they have problems. "Downtime costs money. That's why we teach people in the field what they can do themselves in terms of maintenance and minor repairs. We don't earn anything from that per se, but as long as our customers make money, we're doing just fine."
Because users in the field are mostly technically inclined and "love their gadgets" as Joey puts it, Topcon provides training for minor repairs. After all: standing still is wasting money. So why wait unnecessarily for Topcon to be on site when you can fix it yourself in no time?
Training is offered in a variety of formats:
It is important to note, however, that in-house repairs may only be made to the infrastructure (cables and sensors): the main components (control screen, rover box and receivers) may NOT be repaired by customers themselves. This will void the warranty.
This handy in-cab bag contains items such as tie-ribs, cables, adaptors, etc. that will make you more self-reliant with your machine. You can order the kit by calling the Topcon office at +31 33 299 29 39 or at email.
On our Vimeo channel can be found all the instructional videos.
Download this app from the Play/Appstore and create an account with your details and your equipment. You will find lots of information that will be of value in your daily work; from software updates, manuals to a knowledge base.
Software and firmware updates are very important to maintain proper functionality. Joey: "Making updates cannot be done remotely on devices that are not connected to the Internet. We notify owners about these updates in their account as soon as they visit our website, but unfortunately they are sometimes missed. These push alerts are therefore incredibly useful."
"Sometimes a problem suddenly presents itself frequently. The other day, tablets wouldn't boot up after people did a problematic update to Windows. Then we warn people not to install that update or we offer an immediate fix if you've already done that update and are experiencing problems."
Access to knowledge base with answers to frequently asked questions surrounding the use and maintenance of Topcon equipment.
"If there are deviations in there, you really get into a mess with your sizing."
"Be consistent with that because GPS equipment gets stolen a lot. Ready that day? Disconnect the rover box, receivers and control screen, clean up briefly with a soft cloth and take the set - in the supplied case against damage - home."
Finally, a brief overview of what Topcon offers in terms of service. Joey says:
"When a customer calls us, the first focus is to get him back on track immediately. Only when we really need to take action do we look at what agreements he has made with us. And we take that up with the contract holder; we don't bother the operator who calls us with that."
Standard with every set: service with a professional ticketing system. The Support department always helps with questions or offers remote assistance (with a Sitelink subscription). Only in case of repair, replacement parts, equipment on loan, etc. service fees are charged. In addition, one gets 25% discount on training courses.
The Premium Care contract is relatively little taken because the equipment is reliable and has few quirks. Yet Joey actually recommends this contract: "The annual checks and updates extend the life and maintain functionality considerably."
