January 26, 2026

by Kwinten Cantraine, Key Account Manager

Why service is more than an afterthought

It’s half past nine on a Monday morning. The warehouse is running at full speed. Trucks are unloading, conveyors are rattling, orders are being picked. Until suddenly one lift comes to a standstill. Although it’s nothing more than a minor technical defect, the impact is immediate. Pallets start piling up, operators have to improvise and stress levels rise rapidly.

It is at times like these that the partner you chose for your intralogistics automation proves its worth. After all, the question isn’t whether a system will ever break down, but how quickly and intelligently your partner intervenes when it does happen. Here, service becomes the difference between a brief hiccup and hours of downtime.

Nobody gets a new system installed or an existing installation upgraded in a smart retrofit because they want a round of applause. You want to make processes run more smoothly, need extra capacity or would like your team to have more breathing space. That’s why you do it. But you only really know whether it will work after the handover. From then on, every detail counts: from the first sensor to the last conveyor belt.

In this sense, automation is not an end point but a beginning. It is the start of a process in which systems must continue to evolve with the needs of your organisation and the expectations of your customers. So service becomes the main element that holds everything together.

At E’Log, we don’t see service as a package or a department. It’s an attitude, a form of involvement. “Service is an attitude,” is our motto, and we mean that quite literally. Because as a partner, the way you keep listening, improving and making yourself available often says more than the system itself.

Service means taking action, not passing the buck

It all starts with reachability. If something goes wrong, you don’t want to end up in a maze of drop-down menus or redirects. You want to talk to someone who knows your system. Someone who takes you seriously and gets to work immediately.

That’s why none of our calls end up in a call centre. Customers get our people on the line immediately: service engineers who know the installation inside out and can intervene right away. No queues, no scripts, no detours.

Service means preventive maintenance

Incidentally, the best time to make a real difference is before things go wrong. By knowing where the risks are and adapting maintenance to the customer’s situation. No standard contracts, but maintenance schedules that take into account how intensively a system operates, when maintenance is possible, and how to intervene without everything grinding to a halt.

Our people don’t just come along to see if everything is still running. They observe, listen, adjust and proactively signal where things could be done in a smarter way.

Service means constant improvement

Service also includes optimisation. A minor software tweak here, an extra conveyor there, different routing: the details are often what make a big difference when it comes to flow, reliability or ease of use.

That’s why we always link maintenance to feedback. What have we noticed? Where is there room for improvement? This conversation often leads to new insights that we immediately take into account. As a result, the system grows with your needs in real time.

Service means smart spare parts management

Fact: all parts wear out and need to be replaced over time. Here too, we opt for consultation instead of surprises. We combine proactive monitoring of your system with straightforward spare parts planning, clear priorities and, if necessary, targeted retrofitting on the spot.

No hasty investments, but a smart intervention that will help the system move forward for years to come. With no prolonged downtime.

What sticks in my mind is how often customers mention this difference in mentality to us. “I really feel that you keep thinking along with us.” It’s true, we do. Because a futureproof system is more than just a good start. It is an installation that continues to evolve. An installation that can keep up with future developments, with no vendor lock-in or closed ecosystems. One that feels like it’s keeping pace with you, right from the word go.

At E’Log, automation does not stop when systems go live. On the contrary: this is when everything starts.