Over the next few months, we will be highlighting different departments at Purple. It only made sense to start with the most tenured department, the Service team.
They are an intelligent bunch, with over 30 years of experience working in the 3D printing industry (and their newest addition to the team starting a mere 10 years ago). I interviewed Max Semko, Head of the Service Department, to learn more about service contracts and how his department works with our customer base.
“I have been working in this field for a long time and I really enjoy the relationships that my team and I build with our customer base. I would hope that deciding to purchase a service contract for your Stratasys printer is an easy decision, since you know you’ll be well supported, and your workflow will remain uninterrupted.”
– Max Semko.
First things first, what does a service contract entail?
Easy, our service contracts entail post installation and post warranty service. It’s a comprehensive plan that includes components like preventative maintenance and reactive visits.
- Preventative Maintenance: A recommended annual visit that includes replacement of certain parts and calibration to bring the printer back to factory specifications.
- Reactive Visit: Visits for incidents/issues that may occur. Our service contract covers everything needed to bring the printer back to operational condition, excluding consumables. For example, if you need a new rail or electronic board, the replacement and installation will be completely covered by the service contract. However, if you need a new print head or tray, they are considered consumables and are only covered under our Diamond-level service contract.
What are the different levels of service contracts?
There are two levels of service contracts available: Emerald and Diamond.
Emerald Care encompasses all the attributes involved in the original warranty, and guarantees a service response time of 3 business days.
Diamond Care, or “all inclusive,” is the highest level of service contract. It includes parts, service, labor, and service consumables, with a response time of 2 business days. This Maintenance Agreement protects you from unexpected costs and machine downtime, making it the more desirable choice for machine protection.
What do I do if my printer has a problem while under my service contract?
If your printer is having a problem, give us a call or send us an email. We will talk to you, investigate the problem, and prepare for a visit.
If a part needs to be replaced, we will ship it to you ahead of time and schedule a time for our service technician to come out. The technician will repair the printer, replace the parts, verify the operational condition is good, and check for any additional questions you may have.
What do I do if my printer has a problem while I'm not covered under a service contract?
The alternative to a service contract is a time and materials (T&M) schedule. With this option, you don’t have an active service contract, which means you pay per incident per service.
There are a couple of downsides to that arrangement such as lower scheduling priority (4+ business days) and no guaranteed timeline on phone/email support. Additionally, for a T&M Support call, Purchase Orders are required prior to services rendered. From previous experiences we’ve seen, this may lead to unnecessary downtime due to the PO approval cycle.
Who is servicing my machine? Can you tell me about Purple's Service Technicians?
Purple Platypus’ Service Department is made up of three awesome people: Jason Lasunowicz, Jason Brown, and me (Max Semko). Between the three of us, we have over 40 years of experience servicing 3D printers. Individually, we each have over 10 years of experience installing and troubleshooting Stratasys machines.
I lead the service department, and have been in additive for 15 years. I’d like to believe that my knowledge and passion help sustain customer loyalty and gain customers’ confidence in securing a service contract. I’m very grateful for the relationships I’ve developed over the years.
Jason Lasunowicz was the first technician I hired, back in 2011. He is a Navy Veteran who’s attentive, responsive, and thorough in his service. He knows the ins and outs of Stratasys technology and remains one of our printer masterminds.
Jason Brown is the newest addition to the service team. (He started at Purple in 2014). He came from a similar service background, servicing and maintaining 3D printers for service bureaus. Jason takes his work very seriously and gives 110% to every service call he responds to.
We value the long-term relationships with our customers and are focused on maintaining and building those connections. All in all, our service team is extremely knowledgeable about Stratasys printers and are very focused on making sure that our customers are utilizing their machine to its full potential.
Max Semko
Service Manager
Jason Lasunowicz
Field Service Technician
Jason Brown
Field Service Technician
Why is service important? Are Stratasys machines not reliable?
Stratasys 3D printers are reliable.
Annual maintenance is required on every machine, and unexpected incidents can occur with any piece of capital equipment. Yearly, the printer needs to be recalibrated and parts with normal wear and tear need to be replaced. A preventative maintenance component of the comprehensive service plan is proactively maintaining equipment, minimizing the potential for incidents and downtime.
There are tangible benefits to having a service contract: preventative maintenance, priority scheduling, predictable annual pricing without any unexpected expenses, and future hardware and software updates.
How do I get one of these service contracts?
You can purchase a service contract at the point of sale when buying a Stratasys 3D printer, with the best available discounts, or you can purchase it before the warranty expires (12 months from the installation date). There are also multi-year incentives.
If you choose not to get a service contract or it lapses, you can recertify your machine to get back on the maintenance agreement. With this, Purple will visit to verify the printer’s operational condition is good and resolve all outstanding issues. After that, the printer can be brought back under the maintenance agreement.
Service contracts are like an insurance policy, it’s great to have, but you hope to never have to use it.
Meet Max Semko
Max not only manages the daily operations of our Field Service Department, but he has a wide range of responsibilities, from selling ProtoMAX and Roland DG desktop CNC mills to machine maintenance services.
Out of the office, Max likes to go camping and engage in off-road desert activities in the fall, snowboarding in the winter, and snorkeling in the summer. If you haven’t had the chance to meet Max, make sure to stop by the office or connect with him on LinkedIn!
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