re: #51 FFL (GOP Delenda Est)

In part because the on-going profit for the company making the machine is probably not the machine itself, but the associated maintenance contract. The machine is a one-time profit, netted against the production and development cost. One and done is probably not going to keep your company afloat.

Exactly. Multi-year service contracts where their techs do everything from cleaning out the gunk that builds up to major work is where they expect to make their money. But that’s gonna run right up against companies that rely upon franchises whose staff either handle the work themselves or call up a local “cheap” repairman to keep their equipment running. About the biggest concession most would be willing to make would be to have the techs come out and teach the managers (who will then be expected to teach staff) how to do the “routine” stuff like how to clean the machines or basic trouble-shooting, with the techs expected to be on hot standby when a breakdown occurs in the middle of a lunch rush.