Service & Parts

 

Proa​​​ctive Maintenance

A pre-scheduled service for a specific month to be performed. It is a call that will identify potential service problems and replace pre-determined parts. The difference between a Maintenance Inspection and Proactive Maintenance is that Proactive Maintenance replaces parts whether they need to be replaced or not. (These parts can come from a “kit” put together for the machine.) However, if additional repairs are determined to be needed, a new service order should be created to complete the repairs. Parts are included and proactively replaced as a part of this service. It is available with a stand-alone agreement (PM only) or it is included with Hobart Prosurance. Additionally, PM’s are only available for Warewash and FEG bakery equipment.​

• Preventative Maintenance/Inspections – replacing parts with Genuine OEM parts and servicing equipment proactively in order to prevent downtime and loss of business due to a machine in need of service

• Corrective Maintenance/Repair – replaces a part when they break, in a timely manner with Genuine OEM parts​

​​Types of Professional Service

1. Hobart Care

Operations in need of a service plan that addresses repair needs while limiting the costs from emergency time and material (T+M) calls have a new solution with the Hobart Care plan. It eliminates variability in maintenance costs. Includes scheduling preference over standard time + materials, and problems are diagnosed and repaired only after equipment fails (corrective maintenance/repair). Hobart Service uses OEM parts ensuring compliance to OSHA and other industry regulations.​ To offer more flexibility in our service plans, we have this plan in a labor only option which does not include parts.

2. Hobart Assurance

Operations looking for a plan that offers optional preventive maintenance inspections for their food equipment should look to the Hobart Assurance plan. This plan reduces downtime through early detection and enhanced response times. It allows for predictable yearly budgets and improves equipment performance. Hobart Service uses OEM parts to ensure compliance to OSHA and other industry regulations. The differences between Assurance and Care are that Assurance has faster emergency response times and the option to add multiple upgrades.​ To offer more flexibility in our service plans, we have this plan in a labor only option which does not include parts.

3. Hobart Prosurance

For the ultimate in equipment coverage for your most critical kitchen equipment, Hobart Service offers the Hobart Prosurance package. It’s the ideal plan for operations that need coverage on ITW-branded warewash, large bakery ovens and auto-wrappers. This plan not only covers all labor, travel, parts (exclusions apply) and freight required on an annual basis, it provides operations with a plan that proactively keeps a kitchen’s most critical and expensive equipment running to significantly reduce emergency repairs. And when repairs are required, Prosurance customers are assured the fastest response times so that equipment downtimes are kept to an absolute minimum. Hobart Service uses OEM parts ensuring compliance to OSHA and other industry regulations.​

​​ Summary of Response Time Goals ​​​​​

• Improve the taste of all your beverages, from coffee and tea to ice water and fountain drinks.
• Reduce spots on glassware, flatware, and dinnerware.
• Eliminate hard water scale, improve wash performance, and minimize operating costs.
• Protect your hot water heater and plumbing systems.
• Create better tasting meals.
• Protect your steamers and Combi-ovens from a range of water-related issues.
  

Dish Machines:

Your dish machine requires quality water to endure optimum performance, maximum uptime, and a long service life. Water that has a high mineral content is hard and will lead to scaling – a crusty residue that will cause service issues for your dish machine over time. Scale can easily build up on nozzles and heating elements and requires harsh chemicals to dissolve.

Pros of Hobart Service Water Treatment:

• 24/7 removal of the minerals that lead to hard water, eliminating scale formation and spotting on glassware.
• Easy to maintain and non-electric. Reduces detergent use by up to 40% and energy costs by almost 50%.
• Maximizes your dish machine’s efficiency, uptime, and useful life.

When hard water creates scale in your dish machine:

• Robs equipment of energy efficiency, increases operating costs, leads to service issues and downtime, and shortens equipment life.
• Requires expensive and harsh descaling chemical to remedy.
• Creates hard water spots on glassware and flatware that makes your dishes look dirty, requiring hand-polishing and costly rinse aids.
• Gives your customers the appearance of uncleanliness.
  

Inside Sales: Local / Regional Accounts

Regional contracts are with institutional accounts. Some examples are higher education, convention centers, correctional facilities, and hospitality. These accounts are smaller than the national accounts. Inside Sales Associates work with customers that are coming out of warranty, and they sell them a service contract. Also, technicians can send in leads, when they think a customer would be a good candidate for a service contract. Local accounts are ones that are from very small customers such as a local shop or a “mom and pop” store, an independent restaurant, K-12 schools, and independent retailers.​

Installations

Hobart Service is the only nationwide installer dedicated to commercial food equipment. We pride ourselves on being proactive partners. Our team of factory-trained installers is always one call away. We’re here to earn your trust and instill confidence in your new equipment. Not only will we install your new equipment correctly and safely while ensuring minimal downtime for your operations, we are also just one call away to provide a range of equipment support, from professional service plans and parts to emergency repair and water treatment. When you purchase a piece of equipment, a technician will install it and start it, which means the technician will make sure that it is working properly.

With Hobart Service you get:

• Nationwide single-point coordination for equipment installations
• Installers who are factory-trained on all ITW brands (Hobart, Baxter, Traulsen, Vulcan, Stero, Wittco, and others)
• Removal and disposal of any existing equipment
• Final hookups to existing electric, water, drain, gas, steam, etc.
• Free post-installation equipment performance check
• Flexible scheduling for non-peak or off hours​​
• Extended warranty when installed by Hobart Service
• Consistent turnkey installation project management and support throughout the entire process​

Parts

Genuine OEM Parts

Hobart uses all Genuine OEM parts, in which 40,000 SKUs are available for next day shipping from our Parts Distribution Center in Piqua, Ohio. Genuine OEM parts are replacement parts for all ITW FEG equipment that come straight from the manufacturer. They are guaranteed to fit exactly, whereas generic parts might not. Genuine OEM parts are a huge selling point for customers. This is because you know exactly where the part is coming from, it is guaranteed to fit the machine, and a Hobart technician will know the most about the Hobart machines, therefore giving you the best service for the equipment. This is something that Hobart has always done, and customers respond well to it. Current challenges that Hobart faces regarding parts is the e-store is not up to par with that of PartsTown and Heritage, whose sites are easier to navigate and have faster customer service response times. Hobart is combating this by expanding the Call Center. Hobart Service has integrated a phone system in which if the local branch does not answer the phone, the call will roll over to the National Call Center in Troy, Ohio automatically, increasing the likelihood that the call is answered. Hobart Parts is in the process of integrating the same calling system of having unanswered calls roll over to National Call Center specifically for the Parts Department. With this system in place, Hobart should lose less sales on parts replacement if the rate of abandoned calls decreases. If the call is unanswered or abandoned (meaning that the caller hung up because it was taking too long), the customer is likely to purchase the part from someone else.

Managing the Genuine OEM parts involves many different things. Product Line Managers are people who oversee the lifespan of an OEM part and ITW FEG machinery. Everything from setting up the part, making changes to a part, handling revisions of a part, and basically keeping the part relevant for as long as possible. Product Managers oversee everything part related. Part of their responsibilities include finding opportunities to increase revenue from parts, creating kits, and maximizing whitespace (areas of sales Hobart is missing out on), and deciding when to end the life cycle of a machine and its parts. The older a machine becomes, the harder it can be to acquire replacement parts for it. Twenty years is around how long until a machine is retired. As the machine becomes older, Hobart will stop manufacturing that model, meaning there are no more parts being made. Some ways to find replacement parts for an older machine are if a technician has one on their truck, they could remake the part if Hobart still has the mold, or they could completely remake the casting for the part, depending on how much the customer wants to spend. Therefore, communicating that machines are being retired to customers is important, to avoid hefty part replacement costs. ​

• Hobart operates on an 8am-8pm shipping schedule, giving a 95%-line fill rate, which means that 95% of the orders that come in are shipped the same day.

• Being a Preferred Customer, a lot of times Hobart can expedite parts, getting them to the customer faster than usual, and again, reducing downtime. Paid for by the customer as part of a service agreement.

• If the customer uses an in-house service provider, and need assistance identifying parts for servicing, they have access to a team of around 15 Parts ID Representatives. These representatives are not as knowledgeable as the Hobart technicians, but can provide information that helps to identify a part for the customer.​

Generic Parts Competition

A problem that Hobart and Hobart Service are facing is the competition with generic parts. This is essentially when a customer purchases a generic replacement part from a competitor for their ITW FEG equipment, instead of purchasing a Genuine OEM replacement part from Hobart. This is an issue for Hobart because we lose out on the sale of the part, and Hobart Service being the service provider. There can be many reasons that a customer does not purchase a Hobart Genuine OEM replacement part for their equipment. Some of the reasons could be that they found the exact same part from a distributor, they found the part at a lower price, they use an independent service provider that got the part elsewhere, or many others. A way that Hobart is combating this issue is by stressing the guarantees that come with using Genuine OEM parts from Hobart. It is also common that customers, usually the larger accounts, have their own in-house service provider that they use. In this scenario, they could purchase the replacement part from Hobart a few ways. They can purchase it OTC (Over the Counter, which means they can go to their local Hobart Service branch for the part), or they can go through an online retailer such as PartsTown and Heritage. PartsTown and Heritage purchase the parts from Hobart at a discounted rate, and then resell them through their websites, usually at list price to independent service providers. Another way of purchasing replacement parts is OTT (Off the Truck), this means that the parts are coming directly from a Hobart Service Technician and they are the one servicing the equipment. This is the best outcome for Hobart because they receive the sale of the part and the price of servicing of the equipment. This is where the Service Plans/Contracts come into the situation, because if the customer purchases a Service Plan, they are using Genuine OEM parts and Hobart Service Technicians every time they need service on their equipment. A branch can have both OTT and OTC sales. A customer’s service provider could purchase a part and service the equipment themselves (OTC), or if it is a complicated repair, they can go through Hobart Service (OTT).

Customer Promise and Value Proposition

Hobart Service prides itself on quick, reliable, and effective service on food equipment. With over 100 locations and more than 1,500 factory-trained service technicians across the US and Canada, you can be certain that your dedicated service partner is just a phone call away. No matter the make or the model of equipment, contact Hobart Service for your local, regional and national food equipment service needs. There are key features and benefits that translate into 4 pillars of differentiation: Quality & Performance, Total Cost of Ownership, Food Safety, and Sustainability.​