Packaging
GEA Niro Expands Global Service in Response to Customer Survey
Wednesday 04. March 2009 - A recent customer survey by GEA Niro has shown that, when it comes to after sales, customers are looking for good, old-fashioned, customer service. The survey, which was conducted with a wide cross section of GEA Niro's customers, demonstrated that fast response and delivery, local presence, and good technical support were top of the list of requirements for a global after-sales service.
The survey was carried out recently interviewing customers worldwide. The company has taken these results to heart and made significant changes to its after-sales service, to accurately reflect what customers rated to be important.
GEA Niro has expanded its global coverage to provide a local service wherever it has long-term customers. This expansion includes: strengthening service organisations throughout most of Asia; providing service in Australasia and North America; upgrading capabilities in most of Western Europe to include service technicians and workshops – and providing a comprehensive on-site service program in Germany. The company has also expanded its local stocks of spare parts in China and North America, Australasia, Japan, France, Netherlands and Denmark.
“We have developed a comprehensive modular-based, in-house training program to give our service staff the knowledge and expertise they need to service, repair and trouble shoot on almost all key components,” explained After Sales Group Manager, Samir Maali. “This supports the development of our whole service organisation.” He added that the service expansion has really paid dividends both for the company and its customers. “The global service organisation, with local presence, enables us to reach customers quickly so we can to support them on technical issues, provide routine servicing and fast spare part deliveries,” he said.
Most suppliers of high-value capital equipment, such as spray dryers, have to rely on an after-sales service from a central location. This means that if there is a problem it can often take days or weeks to get a team of suitably-qualified technicians on site to sort it out. “But now we are right there for our customers,” said Samir. “If they need spare parts, technical support or emergency cover we have local staff and spare part stocks on hand to help.” This fast, local service keeps servicing costs down, helps reduce down time, and improves productivity generally.
Samir also explained that the benefit went much further than the practical side of after-sales service. He said that it was just as important for customers to build relationships with GEA Niro’s local representatives so that they can become valuable members of the team. When expert technicians work closely with customers it’s possible for them to develop ideas and new initiatives together that would otherwise never happen if the after-sales company was purely reactive. “Over time our local engineers can develop a fundamental understanding of our customers’ businesses so that we can do much more than just maintain the equipment. We become part of their product development team.”
GEA Niro will be exhibiting at ANUGA FoodTec in Cologne from 10th – 13th March, Hall 4.1, Stand No. G010/H029. The other GEA Group companies sharing the stand with GEA Niro will be: GEA Diessel, GEA Filtration, GEA Niro Soavi, GEA PHE Systems, GEA Procomac, GEA Refrigeration, GEA TDS, GEA Tuchenhagen, GEA Westfalia Separator and GEA Wiegand.