Sensor support

Precision sensor manufacturer Micro-Epsilon has opened a test facility and video-conferencing technical support centre at its new offices in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

Micro-Epsilon claimed in a statement that customers will now be able to test and prove a sensor solution before they purchase, and have any technical or application queries resolved via the video-conferencing service.

Chris Jones, managing director at Micro-Epsilon (UK), said: ‘Customers require more detailed answers to their test-and-measurement requirements and as such require a "local expert" to answer their questions quickly.

‘In the UK sensor market, many sales engineers are not engineering-qualified and so are unable to answer technical queries from the customer. They therefore have to refer these technical questions to head-office engineers, who may be located in the US, Asia or continental Europe.

‘It can therefore take time for the appropriate engineer to answer the customer’s questions and quite often this engineer may misinterpret what the customer requires and so the process has to go through several iterations to finally provide the correct information.’

The new video-conferencing suite at Micro-Epsilon UK means that clients and potential customers are now invited to the Ellesmere Port offices to consult directly with design engineers and research-and-development staff at Micro-Epsilon sites across the world. Technical issues, application problems and custom OEM sensor designs can be discussed and resolved.

‘Both parties can view technical drawings and measurement results simultaneously, as well as technical data and information about the customer’s application. This greatly enhances and speeds up our existing technical support service and has already been used effectively by some of our customers,’ added Jones.