In our service department, our colleagues Tina Wendt and Waldemar Jakubowski are available every day to answer all your questions about spare parts, repairs and much more. Since the topic of service is enormously important for a quality product such as our electric chain hoists, we have followed the working day of both a little and give you a few insights in the following. 

7:00 a.m.
The coffee machine is running – the day cannot start successfully without coffee ????. With the smell of fresh coffee in the air, the first thing to do is process the incoming customer emails. Here, it’s mainly about order processing and preparing quotations. Particularly interesting: our long-standing customers mostly use our standard terms for certain parts and components. This is not always the case with our new customers ????. Here, Waldemar and Tina’s creativity is needed from time to time to do justice to the enquiry ????.

07:30 a.m.

The phone rings – a customer from the industrial sector is calling. Mr. Meier is a service technician and takes care of the maintenance of the electric chain hoists in his company.

Mr. Meier: Hello Mr. Jakubowski, I need your help urgently. My electric chain hoist was running faultlessly until yesterday evening. Today neither lifting nor lowering is possible. Do you have any idea what the reason could be?

Waldemar: Hello, Mr Meier, is the motor still making noises?

Customer: Yes, noises from the motor are audible. What is your guess?

Waldemar: I suspect a short-circuit caused by which the rectifier, which is responsible for opening the brake, in the chain hoist is now defective. In such a case, we at LIFTKET are able to send a suitable replacement part to the customer in only 1-4 working days. Due to the modular design of our electric chain hoists, replacement is possible in most cases without complications. We also offer spare parts for many of the products we have ever produced.

09:00 a.m.

Waldemar and Tina enjoy their well-deserved breakfast break. By the way, Thursdays are a little tradition at LIFTKET. Thursday is “bockwurst day” ????. Here you can enjoy delicious bockwurst from the local butcher for breakfast.

10:00 a.m.

This time Tina’s phone rings. Mr Schneider is surprised that the brake on his electric chain hoist is not working.

Mr Schneider: Hello, Ms Wendt, after my electric chain hoist has now been running for about 2 hours with a continuous load, the brake no longer engages and the load is slipping.

Tina: Hello Mr Schneider, do you have the possibility to check the oil inlet screw?

Mr Schneider: Yes, I can see it.

Tina: Do you see a copper ring or a toothed washer there?

Mr Schneider: A copper ring, why?

Tina: The copper ring has to be replaced by the toothed lock washer supplied after transport. The toothed lock washer ensures pressure equalisation in the gearbox chamber. If the replacement was not carried out, the pressure equalisation takes place at the oil seal of the brake or clutch. You will therefore need a new oil seal.

You will find all information on the initial start-up of our electric chain hoists in our operating instructions. Such an application error could have been avoided here.

11:00 a.m.

Mr Müller, service technician, calls.

Mr. Müller: Hello Mr. Jakubowski, my electric chain hoist only lifts and no longer moves downwards. Can you help me?

Waldemar: From my point of view, the K3 contactor comes into question here. The contactor for lowering could be stuck or even burnt out. Then you would have to order a new contactor.

Here, too, Mr. Müller can remedy the existing fault pattern on his own using Waldemar’s advice. Another happy customer ????.

12:00 p.m.

Lunch break – Waldemar and Tina may be enjoying the delivered food from B&B (the most used delivery service at LIFTKET when it’s about lunch ????)

13:00 p.m.

The strange noises from the chain astonish Mr Bauer.

Mr Bauer: Hello Mrs Wendt, I hope you can help me. The chain of my electric chain hoist is making strange noises. Do you have any ideas?

Tina: Hello Mr. Bauer, can you describe the noise of the chain a little more precisely?

Customer: I would describe the noise as a metallic creaking.

Tina: As I also like to call it: ‘The chain is moaning with dryness’. This is a sign that your chain is too dry and lacks lubrication. It is imperative that you lubricate the chain.

All information on how to lubricate the load chain correctly can also be found in our operating instructions.

14:00 p.m.

The conversation with Ms Schmidt is about UVV inspections.

Ms Schmidt: Hello Ms Wendt, can you carry out a UVV test on my device?

Tina: No, we at LIFTKET do not carry out UVV inspections. However, you can have the UVV test carried out by an expert.

As a manufacturer of electric chain hoists, we generally do not offer to carry out UVV inspections.

The day is drawing to a close. Of course, Waldemar and Tina had many more phone calls. Often, however, the reasons are the same or similar. One of the most frequently asked questions by service technicians for wind turbine installations, for example, is whether the electric chain hoists can still be used after 10 years. Here, Waldemar and Tina always refer to the calculation of the remaining service life required for this. You can also find instructions on how to do this in our blog post: https://www.liftket.de/en/remaining-period-of-use/

In order to find the best possible solution together with the customer, Waldemar and Tina have a few more tips:

1. ideally, have the type plate of the defective electric chain hoist ready. The information on it makes it easier for the colleagues to identify the products. 2. for very quick help with spare parts, you can also use our spare parts shop. This is also available to you outside our business hours. https://www.liftket.de/en/liftketshop-2/  

Finally, we have a few curiosities or as we like to say: art from the customer. The most important thing here: PLEASE DO NOT TRY IT!