Why responsibility in service should not depend on a (maintenance) contract

Maintenance contracts are often sold with good intentions:

• fixed monthly or annual cost
• no surprises
• priority interventions

On paper, that sounds appealing. But in reality, we see that:

• not every maintenance is equally useful
• interventions often happen according to schedule, not according to necessity
• the customer pays for certainty , not necessarily for value
• In the end, the costs often turn out to be higher than what is agreed in the contract.

The practical figures that no one likes to hear

Our experience shows the following:

• About 90% of electric forklift breakdowns are caused by voltage loss on the battery side .
• Of the remaining 10%, in most cases a poor electrical connection is the cause (cables, contacts, ground points, plugs).

These are not theoretical figures, but observations from practice.

Yet, when a breakdown occurs, we often see the same pattern:

In a previous article we already discussed a major pain point in the sector: when a breakdown occurs, the symptom is often addressed, not the cause .

What do we see happening then?

• the forklift breaks down
• quick action is taken
• we start with the most expensive part: the controller

That seems efficient, but rarely is.

When these practical figures are compared to reality, the problem becomes clear: the controller is rarely the cause , but is often the first part to be replaced.

In many cases the cause lies elsewhere:

• bad ground
• voltage drop
• cable or contact problems
• sensor values that are just out of tolerance

Without prior diagnosis, expensive parts are replaced, while the problem can often be solved much more easily (and cheaply) with a targeted measurement .

A proper diagnosis, for example via V4 measurement , makes the difference.

With a V4 measurement, we map voltage loss under load. It's the "blood pressure monitor" for your forklift: it tells us exactly where the energy is leaking without having to demolish the machine.

By advance:

• to measure voltages
• to analyze taxes
• correctly interpret error codes

can one:

• find the real cause
• targeted recovery
• avoid unnecessary substitutions

That takes a little more time and expertise, but the result is:

• lower total cost
• more sustainable solution
• more trust between customer and technician

Replacing a controller can easily cost thousands of euros, while a cleaned ground point or a new connector costs only a fraction of that. The difference? A technician who dares to measure instead of just screwing.

What we hear more and more often in practice is this: customers want to be helped when necessary , not be stuck with interventions that have little or no added value.

In many cases, it is sufficient:

• annual maintenance ,
• tailored to the intensity of use ,
• and the nature of the application (light handling, intensive warehouse work, shift systems, etc.).

More maintenance doesn't automatically mean better maintenance. More meaningful interventions do.
Honest maintenance prevents breakdowns, but we're also realistic: technology can always fail. At that point, the contract isn't what matters to you, but continuity.

The point of this customer is clear: he does not prefer a maintenance contract , but he does:

• transparency
• explanation

• a technician who thinks before he replaces

   

At Immer-Goed, we're increasingly recognizing this demand. Customers don't want a blind system, but a partnership where maintenance is logical, explainable, and proportionate.

Ultimately, what matters most to customers is not the contract, but continuity .

In the event of a breakdown, one thing counts: being able to work again as quickly as possible

For many clients, partnership also means availability : someone who answers the phone, contributes ideas, and can switch gears when needed, even outside of regular business hours. In practice, this flexibility often outweighs the terms of a maintenance contract.

That is why we strongly believe in:

• be on site immediately with a replacement device so that operation can continue
• and not having to search endlessly for a cause while the operation is at a standstill.
• For customers with larger fleets , we even go a step further: if necessary, we provide a backup device on site. This guarantees continuity, even in the event of unexpected outages.

Maintenance is important. There's no doubt about that. But maintenance alone isn't enough when continuity is crucial. Maintenance must:

• starting from the actual load of the machine
• be based on measurements and observations
• and not on automatic schedules or revenue models

Sometimes that means fewer interventions . But almost always it means better interventions .

Honest maintenance doesn't start with a signed contract, but with a technician who measures first and then acts. Want to know the true state of your fleet?