USNR Service − Through COVID-19, and beyond

USNR Service

Through COVID-19, and beyond

WE’RE THERE WHEN AND WHERE YOU NEED US

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, USNR’s support for its customers has been unwavering. When and where you need us we are there to serve your needs, no matter the challenges. Like our customers, we’ve found new means and new tools to get the job done safely, efficiently, and effectively. Remote support has been a part of our toolkit for a long time. The advent of newer technologies along with the abundance of smart devices has been a game changer for many industries like ours.

USNR SERVICE — THROUGH COVID - 19, AND BEYOND

Having the designation as an essential service has afforded USNR the green light to continue supporting our customers throughout this pandemic. We are fortunate that technology and infrastructure are in place to allow us to continue our activities within our manufacturing facilities, employees working from home, and technicians supporting our customers remotely and with limited travel.

USNR’s large and dedicated service team has been there to serve our customers long before the COVID-19 virus was thrust into our world. Challenging work environments and conditions are nothing new, but what is new is the reality that now we must take extra precautions to ensure the safety of our teams and our customers while providing continuous support for our industry. During the initial outbreak, many of our service technicians were called back home as regional governmental travel restrictions were put in place. As our industry is designated essential, any team members who didn’t need to travel far to accommodate customers’ emergency service were able to continue to handle these calls. Key capital system start-ups that were already underway continued with appropriate precautions in place to guard against spreading the virus. The regular support calls were handled remotely, with technicians either working from home, or from our offices with strict safety precautions. As some restrictions are lifting, our service technicians are more able to travel as needed. These service trips are evaluated on a case-by-case basis to continue to provide a safe environment for everyone.

COVID-19 Customer Response and Awareness Protocol Early on, USNR established our own protocols for the safety of our employees. Then we built those protocols into a guideline we adhere to in our facilities and when our team members go to a customer’s site. These ensure we all remain as safe as possible, while allowing us to perform necessary service work. Our objective in the protocol is to take the appropriate precautions against potential exposure by evaluating a customer’s COVID-19 awareness, policies, and practices prior to allowing USNR employees to enter the premises, and offering a summary of USNR’s efforts for customers’ site evaluations. The customer’s safety verification covers such initiatives as their policies and practices as they relate to stopping the spread of COVID-19, sick leave policy, whether any of the customer’s personnel exhibit signs of infection or have exposure to an infected individual, and how the customer is prepared to assist a USNR employee on their site who may face a medical emergency. And on the USNR side, the protocol details our preparedness measures, international travel, individuals displaying flu-like symptoms, social distancing, and the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Remote support solutions For many years USNR has supported customers’ systems remotely with the use of webcams and remote support platforms to resolve issues and to perform updates. Now newer platforms have been launched that allow augmented reality through the use of remote control and viewing software. Using these platforms we can observe your system at a glance, whether it’s machinery, PLC controls, optimizers, or anything else. Our service experts will guide customers through the solution repair by placing 3D markers onto real-world objects as they are displayed on a mobile device. Once you download the software app to your phone or tablet and provide USNR with your ID, our technicians connect remotely to your mobile device’s live camera to see exactly what you are seeing. As you move the device our technician sees the live feed, which can be paused while he draws an arrow to, or circle around an area on the screen where the repair action needs to be taken. This system also benefits our technicians in the field by allowing our engineers to remotely help in resolving issues. Jason Corkle, Corporate Service Manager, comments, “ Remote support has been a part of our toolkit for a long time. The advent of newer technologies along with the abundance of smart devices has been a game changer for many industries like ours.”

Here’s how it works:

Remote camera sharing and real-time video streaming - This allows you to share your smartphone’s camera view. The camera becomes our eyes so we can see the problem and help you address it on-site.

Two-way voice communication - Allows two-way communication for detailed instructions on how to fix the issue at hand.

Highlighting on 3D objects and adding text - We can help you fix the issue by drawing and highlighting on the screen which is overlaid onto real-world objects, as well as adding text descriptions.

Top: A USNR service specialist instructs a worker via remote support. Above: A USNR service technician demonstrates the use of remote support tools.

USNR SERVICE — THROUGH COVID - 19, AND BEYOND

Masks are a new addition to the standard PPE our service technicians wear in a typical mill environment.

Freeze image - The video stream can be paused to get a clear still image to highlight and discuss technical details.

„ Mobile to mobile - The system enables us to connect and support anyone with an iOS or Android device. USNR’s remote support can be accessed as a stand-alone service or in conjunction with the System Maintenance Program (SMP). Our augmented reality service is included for all current SMP contracts at no additional charge. You can be assured that when you partner with USNR you have our commitment to support your systems safely and efficiently, today and always. We have the tools and people in place to support you no matter where you are in the world.

SYSTEM MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

Regular preventative maintenance service, on-going employee training, and product/ system tuning will help ensure maximum recovery and return on your investment while reducing downtime. Our SMP covers all USNR equipment including mechanical, optimization, and PLC controls components. It affords customers 3 levels of contracted service: Premium, Standard, and Utility. All levels offer the following benefits: „ on-site service

remote support: 24 hours/day, 7 days/week, and 365 days/year

travel rate discounts

„ monthly payments The Premium level offers a host of extra benefits, Standard offers several extra benefits, and Utility is an economical plan that works for many customers.