“Since adding the online connection to our Honeywell Solution Enhancement Support Program, we have cut the time to identify and resolve system-related issues in half when the tool is used.”

Jeff Kesterson, Research Associate, DuPont

To increase productivity and reduce support costs at its Spruance plant, DuPont uses Honeywell’s Solution Enhancement Support Program (SESP) Value Plus Connected services for technical support. The program provides a secure, online connection to Honeywell’s global technical assistance center (TAC) support team enabling faster and more accurate problem resolution. The online connection allows support engineers to log directly into DuPont’s system to see technical issues firsthand.

Prior to using the online connection, DuPont was facing some system issues that weren’t easily resolved through telephone technical support. Because of the flexible nature of open systems, which allows for a certain degree of site-specific implementation customization, technical support engineers can not always replicate the problem offsite, leading to issues that can be especially difficult to resolve without seeing the problem. Such was the situation at the Spruance facility. 

Since adding SESP with online connection, DuPont estimates it has cut the time to identify and resolve issues in half when the online connection is used. Many open cases that had previously not been resolved, were corrected during the first online connection because Honeywell support engineers could see firsthand the issues DuPont was facing. Other benefits DuPont has received from the SESP online  connection include:

Problem replication – The online connection often eliminates the need to collect diagnostic packages and server logs. The problem can be seen at the source, allowing Honeywell technical support to look at the system and monitor the problem behavior directly.

File sharing – With many of the online support tools, the file transfer tools are built into the application. The Honeywell technical engineer can initiate the generation of files needed and transfer them to his or her computer thus eliminating lost time working between the customer site and Honeywell when gathering additional data required for further analysis.

Problem identification – Many times, simply conveying the problem is a difficult task. The online connection eliminates the need for data request and delivery cycles since the technical engineer can see the problem directly. This approach allows Honeywell technical experts to analyze the issue and determine what data is needed to identify and resolve the problem firsthand.

When DuPont experienced technical system-related issues, the flexible nature of open systems could occasionally render offsite problem replication difficult. Transferring data to the technical assistance center also proved challenging working through IT mandated security architectures. DuPont and Honeywell wanted to establish an online, collaborative connection that would provide all the necessary layered connectivity and applications for data security and protection to resolve issues.

“It was very frustrating to know that for some issues the technicians couldn’t always replicate our specific system problem on our installed systems,” said Jeff Kesterson, Research Associate, DuPont. “Conveying the problem accurately over the phone was a challenge and we wanted to find a way with an online connection to provide notification of pending problems before there is a system, segment or hardware failure.”

DuPont has been using a technical connection in a limited format for several years but only recently did DuPont and Honeywell establish a more powerful use of an online connection that allows DuPont  to recognize a dramatic return on investment, including improved financial performance by reducing support costs and increasing productivity. The company has been able to avoid revenue loss by attaining faster problem resolution.

The online connection has cut the problem resolution time in half for DuPont when the tool is used. One reason is that the Honeywell technical assistance engineers can access the files needed to validate that the data is adequate for further analysis. This often shaves a full day off each iteration where more data is requested from both companies.

“We began connecting up to remedy open issues, and the results were phenomenal. Cases which had been open for weeks and months were often closed the first time we connected,” commented Kesterson. 

Other advantages of the SESP program include:

Ease of use – DuPont and Honeywell used readily available  Virtual Private Network (VPN) technologies as the infrastructure for their online connectivity tool.

Setup – The program was very easy to set up and establish a connection once the agreed upon technology was chosen. DuPont utilized a VPN with a specialized client which was provided to Honeywell. With protected authentication methods DuPont was able to provide access to what Honeywell needed without compromising its own system.

Security – DuPont uses its standard online access security procedures with Honeywell. No duplicate solution is needed as this provided all the safeguards and security required once the company tailored the program for outside suppliers.

Approvals – DuPont engaged its IT department early on in its efforts to develop an online support capability and took ownership in helping develop the program.

“We would go around in circles it seemed with data request and delivery cycles. However, when an online connection is made, the Honeywell technical assistance engineer will often comment that the system problem may actually be a different problem than he or she was envisioning when just a telephone call was made. A picture is worth a thousand words,” Kesterson said.