Perfect service must be as close to the site as possible – geographically and time specifically – no matter the country of origin of the industrial equipment. This is a universally accepted customer re-quirement.

The management of JSW Japan Steel Works has recognized this formula early and has now formally set out the most appropriate framework conditions for smooth servicing on JSW extru-sion equipment in Europe. Overcoming a geographical deficiency also improves the acquisition of new projects.On February 25, 2014, Seiji Umamoto, General Manager Plastics Machinery Sales Department at JSW, Tokyo/Japan and Jan Vandenbroucke, Vice President of Stork, Belgium, have signed a cooper-ation agreement.

Initially, the contractual operating region is Western Europe. During the first phase, the agreement encompasses all technical activities in conjunction with servicing, overhauling, mod-ernization and enhancement of existing JSW extrusion equipment – since the introduction of the twin-screw technology in 1979. It will eventually also cover the installation, commissioning and mainte-nance of JSW’s new TEX generation of extruders. Equipment of this type is predominantly utilized in economical polymerization, pelletizing, compounding, masterbatch production, devolatilizing, under water pelletizing, rubber/elastomer dewatering etc. The new extruder manages the entire range of standard polymers as well as the latest engineering and super engineering plastics.

The operative part of the service contract lies within the responsibilities of Rudy De Clercq, Oper-ations Manager Site Services, Stork, Belgium. He is closely communicating with Tadashi Gion, JSW Europe GmbH, Dusseldorf/Germany and his engineering colleagues in Japan: „For us, JSW extruders are nothing new,“ says technology expert De Clercq. “Our customers are aware of the fact that our service technicians know JSW equipment inside out. Some 12 years ago, we worked on a huge JSW extruder at a renowned Belgian plastics raw material producer’s site. Since then, many more have fol-lowed.”

The JSW / Stork service contract is the formally authorized continuation of a cooperation on project basis which can look back on a tradition of some 10 years: „As long-term trusted maintenance part-ner, Stork follows the motto ‘say what you want to do and do what you say‘. The important customers that both our companies serve – renowned enterprises in the petrochemical and/or polymers produc-tion markets – recognize the JSW technology in conjunction with Stork’s high quality service.” as Jan Vandenbroucke puts it in a nutshell. “Our extensive workshop, located in the center of the port of Antwerp, combined with our expertise in on-site mechanical services, provide us to deliver fast re-sponse times and impeccable maintenance, overhauling and other services for JSW extrusion equip-ment.

“ Tadashi Gion comments: „Stork and JSW are on the same wave length when it comes to understanding customer-relevant assumptions such as competence and performance in given in-dustries, sectors, branches, technologies, not forgetting geographical regions in which we are tradi-tionally active and present at well-known customers’ sites – we as OEM and Stork as maintenance and service partner. Gion-san does not rule out the possibility that Stork will be given further service and maintenance responsibility beyond extrusion and into other JSW product areas as well as conti-nents.