Avure Technologies HPP Equipment and Services Division has opened a new Parts Distribution Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The new site enables 24-hour delivery of stocked spare parts to customers throughout the European Union and Asia. Managed by a professional global logistics firm near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, the Distribution Center replaces an existing facility in Västerås, Sweden.
With its accelerated shipping, the Distribution Center relocation is the next step in Avure’s phased deployment of a world-class service organization to further support its leadership role in high pressure processing (HPP). As applications for the non-thermal, all-natural pasteurization process continue to proliferate, Avure’s service program has been expanding to accommodate a steadily growing customer base of food processors around the globe.
“Heading into a new phase of growth, Avure has realigned to better suit the specialized needs of our HPP customers,” comments Jeff Williams, who was named Chief Executive Officer of the HPP Equipment and Services Division in December 2013. “With our division now a stand-alone business unit, the entire organization is food-focused.”
The current initiative also encompasses the transfer of all food operations--including cross-trained Customer Support staff, spare part quotation, order entry, and administration for Europe and Asia--from Västerås to divisional headquarters in Middletown, Ohio, USA, where HPP manufacturing is now underway.
Dave Fuller, Director of Field Services and Aftermarket for Avure HPP, states, “Our presses are engineered for high performance and reliability and adhere to the strict safety guidelines of high-volume production environments. When maintenance, repair, and technical questions do arise, we provide a unified resource to help customers maximize return on investment by sustaining their systems throughout an extended equipment lifecycle.
“Shortening the delivery time on spares is a key piece of this strategy,” Fuller continues, adding, “Our On-Time-Ship goal is a world-class 94 percent for 2014.”
The new Distribution Center will be fully operational February 17. The realignment follows the October 2013 launch of Avure’s new HPP Equipment Services and Support platform; the September introduction of the breakthrough model 525L, the largest-volume HPP system available to date; and the July deployment of a Global Technical Service 24 X 7 Hotline to Europe and Asia.
For more information about high pressure processing, visit Avure’s website at www.avure.com/HPP and www.twitter.com/avureHPP.