Most of the time lost on a support call is spent establishing facts. Having these to hand shortens the call and sometimes removes the need for a site visit altogether.

About the machine

• The machine or line name as your team refers to it, and the plant location
• The controller platform if you know it — Siemens or Allen-Bradley, and which family
• The exact alarm text or fault code, transcribed or photographed rather than paraphrased
• Whether the fault is constant or intermittent, and roughly how often it recurs

About what changed

The single most useful question is what changed? Faults rarely appear from nothing. Recent program downloads, replaced components, network changes, power interruptions and even changes in product or material are all worth mentioning, however unrelated they seem.

About access

• Whether remote access is available, and whether it is currently switched on
• Who on site can physically stand at the machine while we work remotely
• Site access requirements if an engineer may need to travel — inductions, PPE, escort rules, shift times and gate hours

Photographs

Panel interiors, HMI alarm screens, drive displays and nameplates are all worth attaching. A photograph of a nameplate settles a parts question in seconds that could otherwise take a day of back-and-forth.