SIDEL has received two awards for its service levels to customers following an independent study into service performance in the beverage industry by a leading German university.
The study was commissioned by international publishing house HB Media. Professor Michael Koch, head of the Plastics Technology team at the Technical University of Ilmenau in Germany, was responsible for conducting the study. The objective was to assess the quality of the service provided by machine manufacturers in the PET packaging technology sector, with a questionnaire distributed in seven languages to approximately 1,000 participants in 334 companies.
Based on the findings from the questionnaires, Sidel was identified as the best manufacturer of stretch blow moulding and filling equipment in two categories: its ‘reachability’ in terms of customers’ plants and also the ‘close proximity of its technicians’.
Independent study of drinks packaging market
Sid Johari, Executive Vice President for Industrial Operations at Sidel, received the award from Alexander Büchler, Publisher & Managing Director of PETplanet Insider magazine. Mr Johari said, “We are delighted to receive the award as it is the result of an independent evaluation of the service levels in the beverage industry.”
Dag Gronevik, Vice President for Services, added, “We conduct our own extensive annual survey with our customers which always generates some very useful feedback. One of the key findings from our 2014 survey was the importance of production equipment that can continue to deliver with a reduced total cost of ownership (TCO). Crucial in supporting this is an effective services operation. Flexibility was also recognised as key to meeting the demands of a new, more discerning customer. For example, if you have an adaptable line supported by an adaptable services team you can more easily change production to a new bottle design to boost the brand, or a new liquid to capitalise on a new local growth trend, or implement new technology to reduce energy usage.
“We are particularly pleased to win these categories of the awards because offering global experience backed by local sales and service support to our customers has been, and continues to be, a real focus for us at Sidel. It is very rewarding to get recognition from the many companies who took the time to complete the questionnaire from which the awards were decided, that this approach is working well.”
Dedicated business unit
The importance that Sidel attributes to the service side of its business was recently demonstrated by the company setting up Sidel Services™, a new dedicated services business unit that aims to deliver greater value to the beverage products, installed Sidel equipment and bottom line of beverage producers globally. The unit was developed based on the feedback from over 1,000 individuals within hundreds of Sidel customers worldwide. Part of this process was the introduction in 2014 of new initiatives in spare parts logistics and technical support, providing customers with better access to the people and the parts that they need.
The report by Professor Koch is entitled “Service Performance – Key Measure for Equipment Servicing” and it clearly highlights that service plays a vital role in the decision making process of beverage producers. When asked ‘How important is the overall service performance of an equipment supplier in after sales activity for future purchasing decisions from your perspective relative to other aspects’, over 60% of respondents said that ‘Overall Service Performance’ was most important. Drawing from his findings and some of the areas identified for potential improvement, Professor Koch also stated that “…it certainly emphasises the need for a local presence in rapidly growing and highly diversified markets.”
