Impartiality & Conflict Of Interest
If it's one of the major wire rope manufacturing companies examining your wire ropes, then there should be little reason to doubt their competence; however, they together with any other wire rope supplier cannot be totally impartial and therein exists a clear conflict of interest.
The objective of any wire rope supplier is to sell wire ropes and to persuade you that their wire ropes are better than those of their competitors, so when they provide you with a 'site service' it's all aimed at selling you wire ropes and in one way or another, keeping the competitors out.
Not only is the intention to keep other wire rope suppliers out, it is also to keep independent wire rope technical services companies out. In some cases, they may do this by providing examination services either for 'free' or for a 'very cheap price'.
One reason for keeping 'independents' out is that, once you separate the supply and the technical service, you as the client then become free to look for your wire ropes elsewhere.
If you are offered such a service, it is worth remembering that you don't get something for nothing.
In reality, what is happening is that you are paying for the service, but in a hidden way by one or a combination of the following methods.
- An inflated rope price.
- Receiving the service at a very low level.
- Possibly through some modification of change out times and reasons for change-outs.
The experience of one of our clients, that had been using a manufacturer's service was that, the service consisted of: 'getting in and out', as fast as possible and only doing 'half' the job.
