REPAIR AND REFURBISHMENT Ӏ GERHARD STURM, PALFINGER
EXPERT SUPPORT
Crane manufacturer Palfinger employs around 12,700 full-time employees across
30 manufacturing sites and a worldwide sales and service network of around 5,000 service points. We speak to Gerhard Sturm, SVP Global Sales & Service at Palfinger, to find out more about the importance the company places on its repair and servicing offerings.
CT: What are the key elements in your repair and servicing offering? Sturm: When it comes to keeping machines operating smoothly, regular maintenance and servicing play a key role. They help to extend the lifespan
of our products and ensure safety. It’s a smart investment because preventative measures improve availability and reduce unexpected downtime. Of course, mandatory annual inspections also needed to be done properly and documented correctly.
Yet in case of an unexpected
repair, taking the machine into a workshop isn’t always necessary – or even possible. That’s where our mobile service
partners come in. They provide expert support on-site within the shortest time possible. To make things even easier,
Gerhard Sturm © Peter Rigaud
we offer tailor–made service packages – Palfinger Service Contracts – designed to fit different needs. Depending on the package, this can include legally required inspections, regular servicing, repairs, replacement of wear parts, and even product care and cleaning.
Our aim is to provide full
transparency regarding operating costs while keeping Palfinger machines in top condition.
With many crane owners facing a skills shortage for service engineers and technicians, it feels like aftersales support from the manufacturer has become more important than ever. Does this fit with your recent experiences? Are your customers becoming increasingly reliant on you as the OEM to repair their cranes? We see a growing demand for our services. One reason is the
68 CRANES TODAY
shortage of skilled staff, but another key factor is that our lifting solutions are becoming increasingly powerful – especially with the additional solutions and services we provide. Our service offerings, including
lubricants, original spare parts, and digital solutions, significantly enhance the performance, efficiency, and lifetime of our equipment. This is a factor gaining more and more importance for our customers. This makes a strong case for relying on OEM support to keep their cranes operating at peak efficiency. As a result, we are committed
to expanding our service business and aim to double it to 700 million Euros by 2030.
How do you differentiate your repair and refurbishment offering from your competitors? What makes your solutions the best?
93 per cent of unscheduled repairs are completed on the same day – a rate we believe is truly outstanding and not just a matter of chance. This is made possible by our
well-equipped workshops and service partners, who have access to an extensive pool of spare
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