SNA’s retort technician Marvin Garza travels across North America to provide expert equipment service and recommend best practices for optimizing retort performance. In this interview, he talks about the most common issues he encounters on customer visits and explains why preventative maintenance is essential to achieving peak productivity levels and extend machine’s lifespan.
With six years of experience in control technologies across various industries, Marvin Garza joined Surdry North America last year after completing intensive training at Surdry’s headquarters in Spain. Since then, he has been helping customers in the region maximize the uptime of their advanced Surdry equipment, boosting both productivity and throughput.
Garza’s visits go beyond troubleshooting: they focus on proactive measures. From fine-tuning retort systems to reinforcing best maintenance practices, he ensures customers get the most from their equipment. In this interview, Garza discusses the impact of SNA’s complimentary maintenance program SurdryUP on productivity and reveals what makes his role both challenging and rewarding.
SNA: What does your job at SNA entail?
Marvin Garza: As a retort technician, my primary responsibility is to evaluate, maintain, optimize and commission Surdry retorts for our customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. This includes conducting regular inspections, performing maintenance tasks and providing training and support to ensure customers get the most out of their equipment.
I also provide technical support and training on Surdry’s retort control system, SteriNet21. This involves performing hardware and software updates, ensuring the system complies with FDA regulations, and keeping operations running smoothly.
What do you focus on when evaluating a customer’s Surdry retort?
I focus on several key areas, including equipment condition and overall performance; accuracy of temperature and pressure control systems; safety features and compliance with regulations; and maintenance and upkeep practices.
What are the most common issues you encounter during evaluations?
Inadequate maintenance procedures and worn or damaged components are the most frequent issues I encounter. We understand that it can be challenging for businesses to plan downtime when operating on tight deadlines, but we can’t stress enough the importance of prioritizing preventative maintenance to avoid costly repairs or machine breakdowns in the future.
Other common issues include machines running on incorrect temperature or pressure settings and staff who are not well-trained in proper machine care. Addressing these problems proactively can make a significant difference in equipment performance and longevity.
How can SNA’s program SurdryUP help customers achieve the highest productivity levels?
At SNA we understand that preventative maintenance is key to unlocking a retort’s full potential, and that’s why we created SurdryUP, which is a comprehensive aftersales program designed to optimize the performance of Surdry retorts. Customers can schedule an annual machine performance analysis for free! During my visits, I assess parts and components for replacement, review inventory levels, provide guidance on best maintenance practices and recommend operational improvements to enhance safety and performance. The program ensures customers minimize unexpected downtime, reduce maintenance costs and maintain peak productivity and throughput.
What is the most exciting part about your job?
I love seeing the positive impact of optimized Surdry retort performance on our customers' businesses. Whether it's increasing productivity, improving product quality or enhancing operator safety, it’s incredibly rewarding to know my work makes a real difference.
It’s also exciting to work with such exceptional equipment. Surdry retorts are known for their high quality, durability, energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Their innovative design features and advanced temperature and pressure control systems are a hit with customers.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
In my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends and participating in outdoor activities. I also love attending sports events, music festivals and traveling to explore new places – which fits perfectly with the travel opportunities in my role at SNA.
For more information
Mariana Santos
SE10 Public Relations Support
+1 (312) 623-4545 | mariana.santos@se10.com