Merck Millipore has launched a customised service plan portfolio, which has been developed to optimise the performance of the company's range of water purification systems.
The portfolio offers customers three levels of coverage: full, known as Service Total; advanced, known as Service Advanced; and basic protection, known as Service Essential.
In addition, special plans for regulated environments (Service Total Pharma, Service Advanced Pharma and Service Essential Pharma) can provide coverage for laboratories following cGMP or GLP guidelines.
All plans are designed to sustain specified water quality throughout a water purification system's lifetime and to take into account criteria that are important for water purification system owners.
These criteria include: having a reliable supply of high-purity water (in the volumes required); ensuring that the water purification system complies with regulations when applicable; obtaining dependable and efficient maintenance, with rapid intervention when needed; and having access to predictable system upkeep expenditures.
Service Total and Service Advanced plan holders can also opt to install the Millitrack software, Merck Millipore's diagnostic tool.
The Millitrack software enables point-to-point or remote access to the customer's water purification system, as well as the advanced analysis of all process steps performed inside the system.
Eric Beguec, worldwide service and validation product manager of Merck Millipore Lab Solutions, said: 'We've tailored our offer to provide an "a la carte" selection of service plans.
'Our comprehensive range of service plans is designed to match our customers' application, quality and budget needs.
'For example, laboratories working with critical applications, such as those in the pharmaceutical or biomedical sectors, will probably select the Service Total or Service Total Pharma plan, in order to benefit from all-inclusive coverage.
'On the other hand, users requiring a little less protection, but who still need to avoid any unplanned expenses and to keep downtime to a minimum, may wish to choose the Service Advanced or Service Advanced Pharma plan.
'Finally, the Service Essential or Service Essential Pharma plans provide the lightest coverage, which is adapted for labs with routine upkeep needs,' he added.
All of the new service plans include, at core, one preventative maintenance visit per year.
During this visit, a Merck Millipore factory-trained field service engineer will complete a number of check-up procedures on the water purification system.
System specifications, monitoring, hydraulics, mechanics, electronic parts and operational functions will all be examined in order to ensure seamless water quality.
System parts showing wear will be replaced preventatively using a system-specific maintenance kit.