I was explaining to a customer recently the difference between Qualitrol's repair warranty and the warranty of most other repair houses.  I told the customer that when Qualitrol repairs a PLC module, we functionally test all aspects of the module by installing it in a PLC rack with other modules, uploading a program in the CPU that is designed by our engineers to fully test the functionality of the system and the repaired module in particular, and letting it 'burn in' for 8 hours.  If there is another problem with the module besides the one that it was sent in for, we typically find it during this testing process, and fix it before we send the part back. 

As a result, when we guarantee our repair for one year, we are actually guaranteeing the operation of the entire module, not just the circuit or failure for which the customer sent the part in.  If we fix the output circuit and then 3 months later the interface to the backplane goes bad, we fix it under the original one-year warranty.

In explaining this to our customer, I used the term "board level repair" to illustrate the fact that we guarantee the entire board, not just the repaired section of the board.  One of our repair technicians overheard me using this term and later set me straight on use of this term.

In most repair circles, the term "board level repair" refers to the act of swapping out suspiciously bad boards from a system and replacing them with new boards until the system functions again.  In fact this is not repairing the board, but simply removing the bad board all together.

This, of course, is on the complete opposite end of the repair services spectrum from the repair service Qualitrol offers.  I guess we should call our process "Functional Repair" or "Edge-to-Edge Repair" because it is fully comprehensive. 

When I asked another of our long-time (over 10 years) customers why her company uses Qualitrol for repairs sent in by their customers, she said, "because you're easy to deal with and we never have had any problems." 

One of our Inside Sales representatives received a call the other day from a prospective client.  This visitor to our site had found just the part they were looking for, liked the price that they saw on the screen, but just weren't comfortable taking that last step to place the order on-line.  They picked up the phone and called our toll-free number.

"I see your price and I see you have 3 of these in stock ready to ship.  Is that really true?" the visitor asked.  "Absolutely," replied our sales rep.  "Just wanted to be sure," said the visitor, "since I have you on the phone, can I just give you my credit card information?"

This story illustrates some wonderful realities about internet shopping these days.  First, you want to be sure that the information you are seeing is accurate and can be relied upon.  At Qualitrol, we update our pricing and our inventory levels every 10 minutes, so what you see is accurate and up to date.

Second, some people want to deal with people.  They want to hear a voice on the other end of the phone and be assured that everything will be handled properly.  Especially if you are in an emergency situation.  With Qualitrol, you will get the same great service whether you place your order on-line or in person.

You can call us, email us, or chat anytime.  We have an after hours number that is avialable 24/7 in case you have a problem that can't wait until the next business day.  We have one technical support person and one order processing specialist on call all the time. 

Rest assured that our on-line transactions are secure and time-tested.  Or feel free to call us anytime.

I've just celebrated my 25th anniversary in the Factory Automation Distribution Industry.  We've sure come a long way.  Well, maybe not all of us.

At Qualitrol, our goal is to embrace the latest technology used on the factory floor without leaving the past behind.  We know that a manufacturer can't just rip out all of the older legacy controllers in the plant whenever their PLC vendor of choice comes out with a new model, although a lot of vendors would be extremely happy if they could pull that off.   No, engineers and maintenance teams are tasked with keeping all of the controllers running smoothly - from the shiny new controllers that just came in on that new machine to the controllers that were introduced during the Carter administration. And what plant doesn't have several PLC brands throughout the facility?

Nothing matches the stress and anxiety that you experience when a critical machine goes down, you open the panel to see what is wrong, and that PLC you haven't touched in years, if ever, has decided to take a vacation.  Do I have the manual?  How do I reload the program?  What do all of these flashing lights mean?   I only know Allen-Bradley PLCs - who put this GE Fanuc Series Six in here? Who do I turn to for help?

Turn to Qualitrol.  Our mission is to provide after-market products, repairs, programming assistance, and phone and field support services for Legacy PLC systems.  And we offer one thing more - a knowledgeable and caring team of sales and support people who pride themselves on helping you get out of a crisis and get your machine running again.  We never fail to get compliments on the responsiveness of our team and their ability to follow through on commitments.  We're with you every step of the way.