In the manufacturing industry and in mechanical engineering, the trend is increasingly moving towards individual, complex designs as technology develops. Not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for functional reasons. In order to master the associated challenges in the production of components, solutions from the field of special machine construction are required. The medium-sized company ALOtec from Kesselsdorf in Saxony is a provider of such solutions and builds special systems for robot-supported laser applications in machine, mold and tool construction. Laser hardening and laser cladding can be used to create complex shapes with optimum hardening and wear protection properties - entirely in line with the customer's individual requirements.

The special systems can also be used to repair worn components and implement additive manufacturing processes. However, the special features of special machine construction and the different requirements of customers also pose challenges for the company in terms of support and service. ALOtec therefore relies on TeamViewer and TeamViewer Pilot to make customer support as fast and efficient as possible while saving time and costs.

Remote support implemented internationally

ALOtec not only manufactures the special systems, but also offers its expertise as a contract manufacturer. For example, if a customer's order peaks and they can no longer manage the production of materials themselves, ALOtec takes over parts of their parts processing. The customer can simply outsource part of the production to the laser technology experts and then smoothly integrate the result into its other processes. Another option is for ALOtec to deliver temporary mobile systems to the customer in order to increase their productivity during peak periods. With this flexible offering, ALOtec secures important competitive advantages and accepts orders from medium-sized companies to large corporations. However, this is accompanied by major challenges for service and support, because ALOtec has to meet its international customers and their different requirements.

In view of the fact that customer inquiries in special machine construction are not very standard and international travel for support purposes is time-consuming and cost-intensive, ALOtec has been relying on TeamViewer for its after-sales support since 2015. With the remote support tool, ALOtec not only optimizes its customer support, but also its service and consulting. On the one hand, the platform enables optimal and responsive communication with the customer. Secondly, the solution allows ALOtec's service technicians to connect to the customer's system remotely with their consent. This allows them, for example, to read out process and system parameters, view the error log and make adjustments directly.

Augmented reality in customer support

In addition to software problems, it can also happen that the source of the error lies in the hardware of a machine. Because pure remote support, where a service technician from ALOtec connects to the customer's system, is no longer sufficient for detecting and rectifying such faults, ALOtec has been offering its customers support for hardware problems via augmented reality (AR) using the TeamViewer Pilot application since the start of 2020. This is because the ALOtec service technician has to get a physical image of the affected system in order to localize the fault. "TeamViewer Pilot gives us the opportunity to use video telephony and AR markers to guide our customers interactively in real time and make a decisive contribution to solving the problem," reports Clemens Kuhn, Senior Executive at ALOtec. This is because the free app allows customers or technicians on site to share a video in real time with the ALOtec service technician via the smartphone camera. This allows the experts to take a joint look at the system and work together on a solution. In addition, important points, for example on the control panel of the laser system's robot, can be highlighted using AR markers. Even if the camera is moved and the image pans back and forth, this marking remains in place. The expert can also add text to the fixed annotations. This allows the user and service technician to solve the problem together - as if they were both in the same place at the same time.

Secure competitive advantages

"The best feedback is often no feedback, satisfied customers just keep working," says Clemens Kuhn. "And when we do hear something, it's always positive. Our customers appreciate our responsive problem solving. TeamViewer has noticeably improved our service, which has enhanced our reputation and our image with customers." But it's not just the customers who benefit from the improved support; ALOtec itself also benefits greatly. This means a time saving of up to two hours per service case, as well as up to ten percent lower costs for the support offer.

Kuhn can therefore well imagine intensifying the collaboration with TeamViewer in the future. For example, it would be conceivable to network the systems via TeamViewer IoT in order to make the impressive service offering even better through predictive maintenance. But for now, he is happy with the current solution: "The improved service is a significant qualitative benefit that gives us a decisive competitive advantage over our market competitors."

Bhaskar Mitra, Global Product Marketing Manager TeamViewer Pilot, TeamViewer / am