Normally, when businesses consider maintenance, they have two options. There’s the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), which offers some clear value when it comes to maintaining products, but there’s also third-party management (TPM), which can offer value in its own right. Some, however, are beginning to wonder if the third path is best, a hybrid TPM / OEM path that seeks to provide the best of both worlds.
What Are the Benefits of a Hybrid TPM / OEM Solution?
The best part about a hybrid TPM / OEM solution is that it effectively covers the waterfront in terms of time frames.
Why waste the OEM? Many new products come with a certain amount of warranty direct from the manufacturer. It’s often used as a way to differentiate products in a highly competitive market; a warranty of unusual duration allows the manufacturer to assert that it “stands behind the product,” believing it will end up like the Maytag Man of classic commercials, sitting around with nothing to do. Why lose out on what the OEM is willing to provide at no extra costs?
End of life worries, no more. Yet most warranties do eventually expire. Then what? Do you throw out a product that’s worked perfectly well just because the company decided to pull support after some potentially arbitrary date? This is where TPM kicks in and delivers value, allowing at least some businesses to carry on with valid, working products beyond the shelf life originally envisioned by the manufacturer.
Total package flexibility. This is why the hybrid TPM / OEM approach ultimately works the best. We know OEM support is valid; they make the products, they should be able to service them as well. TPM, meanwhile, kicks in to deliver valuable knowledge and experience after the OEM decides to pull the plug and try to migrate users over to some new product. Plus, some businesses will see value in replacing some components right away and using OEM in the meantime, while seeing value in keeping some components around longer and using TPM to cover that gap.
How Do I Set Up a Hybrid TPM / OEM Solution?
Setting up the OEM half of a hybrid TPM / OEM is fairly simple; just take advantage of the warranties offered by the initial product vendor. When you need to go beyond that, either in time or scope, just drop us a line at Emcon IT. We can set up a TPM program for you that allows you to take advantage of your current equipment longer, and potentially even in new ways. So just get in touch with us today and let us show you how much value your equipment really has.