Why a Former Plant Manager Chose SEYI

For manufacturers, downtime isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s lost productivity, missed deadlines, and unnecessary costs. In the real world, equipment issues are inevitable. The difference between a minor setback and a major crisis often comes down to one thing: how quickly and effectively you can get support.

Sometimes a situation can be handled internally, but other times, only the OEM can resolve an issue. But what happens when that OEM is unresponsive? A former plant manager from a large stamping company based in Ohio learned the answer to this question the hard way.

For years, the stamping facility operated a variety of press brands without a preferred supplier. But across all of them, he noticed a troubling pattern—getting service when a press went down was always a challenge.

In one instance, a 220-ton gap frame press suffered a pitman arm bearing failure due to a lubrication system malfunction. Despite multiple calls and voicemails to the OEM, the maintenance team received no response. Left with no other choice, the team had to dismantle the ram, take measurements, and work with a local machine shop to custom-fabricate the replacement bushing—a process that took five full working days.

On another occasion, the company found that the OEM was responsive was when the issue required an extremely costly repair—something they found suspiciously convenient for their bottom line.

Frustrated by the constant delays and costly downtime, the former plant manager stated that something had to change. That’s when him and his company turned to SEYI.

Before purchasing a SEYI press, the plant manager and his team did their due diligence. They spoke extensively with SEYI’s sales and service teams, determined to ensure that this time, service wouldn’t be an afterthought—it would be a competitive advantage.

The difference was clear from the start. After purchasing their first SEYI press, the company was so impressed by both the equipment and the service team that they added a second press just one year later. Today, SEYI is their preferred press supplier with four presses in operation and counting.

When asked if SEYI’s service team delivered on their promises, the former plant manager simply said, “Yes, but to be honest, we hardly ever even had to call them—because the presses ran so well."

A press is only as good as the support behind it, and when downtime happens, having a reliable service team can mean the difference between a quick fix and days of lost production. SEYI’s commitment to world-class service and dependable equipment has not only helped the company stay productive but has also earned their trust as a long-term partner.