Machine and plant technology. Most machines and plants are located in the production centers. However, we also find them in R&D, manufacturing machine design, training workshop, storage areas or in the maintenance department itself. Naturally, automation and the degree of machine interlinking is most advanced in manufacturing. Consequently high availability of the machines, in particular of complex automated systems, is a key target. Machine availability, as a product of maintenance, is an essential customer benefit. For that reason, the range of services of the "Maintenance, Machine and Plant Technology" unit extends from planning and procurement stage through the entire life-cycle of these machines up to their final disposal. High demands are imposed on maintenance engineers, not only in the fields of automation and visualization technologies but also in the vital understanding of the immense variety of different processes. Continuous training is indispensable in mastering these complex systems.

What qualification requirements are necessary to ensure that the machines operate with a minimum of interruptions? Maintenance planners and co-ordinators, often with a master's degree or specialised engineering diploma, prepare planned interventions. Order implementation requires knowledge of pneumatics, hydraulics, SPC programming and NC structures. What methods or aids are used by maintenance to increase plant availability? The numerous methods and tools include, to name a few, computer-assisted tools, supplier discussions, audits, maintenance reports, fault reports and statistical systems. How rapidly can your maintenance engineers respond to an error? Due to the distributed support workshops that we have set up with small, self-managed teams working in alternating shifts, response times of less than 10 minutes are common. In the production department I saw very many different technologies. Do you also need external service engineers? We employ external service engineers primarily to assist in meeting requirements at peak periods of activity and when, for operational reasons, we decide that we do not require our own specific know-how. Our main
requirement is a fast response. Linear motor of a laser cutting system for guide bars