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With Skelton Crew, Teleservice, Parts Maker Not Quitting on Customers

LVD Strippit has kept its New York plant and all four of its North American support facilities open during the pandemic to continue supplying parts and aftermarket service to essential manufacturing businesses. And when remote service isn’t enough, their techs hit the road to keep customers’ equipment running smoothly.

Posted: April 30, 2020

Service managers at LVD Strippit’s Southeast Support Center in Charlotte, N.C., are using their technical skills to help with installations and service calls for essential businesses during the pandemic. Here, Stefaan Creytens troubleshoots a laser safety guard system on an Easy-Form press brake.

As in other countries, personal protective equipment (PPE) is in short supply in Mexico. If an onsite visit is necessary, technicians at LVD Strippit’s facility in the City of La Canada are given protective masks and gloves. In this case, the customer gave Service Technician David de la Garza a full protective suit when he showed up to troubleshoot an issue with the X-axis backgauge of an 80-ton press brake.

BY STEPHANIE JOHNSTON

The tiny village of Akron (population 2,900) is about as far from New York City, epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., as you can get and still be in New York state. Even so, LVD Strippit’s sole North American manufacturing plant has been operating with a skeleton crew since March 23, 2020, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo told non-essential businesses to send all nonessential employees home until May 15.

However, because the facility supplies spare parts to essential businesses, the manufacturer of punch presses, press brakes, shearing machines, and laser cutters is able to keep a small staff onsite to fulfill orders. Everyone else from that location is working remotely.

The company’s other support centers in Dallas; Charlotte, N.C.; and Minneapolis are open, as is an office in Mexico. Many service support calls can be handled using LVD Teleservice remote monitoring tool, but when all else fails technicians visit customers in person.

LVD Strippit is part of the LVD Group of companies, a family-owned business based in Gullegem, Belgium, with approximately 1,250 employees worldwide.

In addition to the Akron, N.Y., plant, the company manufactures equipment in Belgium, China, France, and Slovakia.