When the chips are down: production restored overnight  

Any stoppages in production are costly and this means that as soon as a breakdown is reported, plant managers must be able to rely on a supplier that can quickly repair or replace the equipment and restore the production line

In the food industry, production is round the clock.

Machines are under strain with the unrelenting processes and, due to hygiene regulations, must be regularly disassembled to be cleaned, often leading to problems with reassembly.



Any stoppages in production are costly and delay deliveries to suppliers. This means that as soon as a breakdown is reported, plant managers must be able to rely on a supplier that can quickly repair or replace the equipment and restore the production line.

Staffordshire-based materials management expert Gough Engineering has recently restored the production line of Belgian food manufacturer Roger & Roger.

The company did not have a required part in stock, bringing their production line to a halt.

Gough Engineering’s parts and service team ensured that the part was delivered by the next morning, allowing production to continue.

Roger & Roger, a potato and corn snack manufacturer with factories across Europe, had a conveying machine breakdown in the evening and immediately contacted Gough Engineering for their help in resolving the costly breakdown.

Members of the parts and service team from the conveying and bucket elevator specialist located the required part and arranged for a local haulier to take the part to Belgium, which arrived at 7am the next day.

“The production line that we restored at Roger & Roger is just one example of how we go above and beyond for our customers,” explained Stephen Harding, managing director of Gough Engineering. “We provide a round the clock service, should any customers need any parts shipping or if they need an engineer to visit to fix a part. This allows them to get back to full operation as soon as possible.

“We also recommend that when companies buy parts from us, they also purchase a parts inventory or extended warranty. This allows them to continue this level of service long after we have installed the product. We even have a machine that we maintain that was installed 30 years ago!”

Gough Engineering also recommends that companies take part in proactive, as well as reactive, maintenance.

If specialist engineers regularly visit to maintain the equipment, check tensions, sprocket alignments and ensure that a system is performing effectively, there will be a lower chance of an unexpected breakdown.