S&R Forklift Rentals
Sustainable Bio-Blast™ quickly frees frozen parts with no VOCs
Renewable Lubricants new Bio-Blast™ Penetrant is a high-performance, fast-acting, biodegradable penetrant that eradicates rust and dirt to quickly free corroded nuts, bolts, and other frozen components quickly. A patented blend of additives and bio-solvents provides a fast-penetrating catalyst that is non-staining to ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Fast capillary wetting action reduces surface tension, freeing up frozen parts quickly. Unlike petroleum solvents, there is no direct loss of the penetrant into the water, soil, or work environment, so Bio-Blast™ is inherently safer for the environment. This patented non-flammable, non-combustible formulation is safer for the workplace as well. Renewable, non-toxic, OSHA and ISO-1400 compliant Bio-Blast™ contains no hazardous VOCs, making it ideal for use on nuts/bolts, air tools, rusty chains, jacks, locks dies, linkage cables, wire ropes, hinges, firearms, fishing reels, and more. Bio-Blast™ meets the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2013 Vessel General Permit (VGP) guidelines for Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs) and is ideal where low toxicity, biodegradability, and non-bioaccumulation properties are required. Penetrates in close tolerances and prevents corrosion Available in 11-ounce aerosol cans, 12-ounce spray bottles, 1-gallon jugs, 5-gallon pails, 55-gallon drums, and case lots from the Hartville, Ohio factory. Renewable Lubricants, Inc. began as a research and development company in 1991, developing high-performance products that would directly replace petroleum-based products. Starting from a single corn-based engine oil developed in the inventor’s garage, the company now offers more than 250 products and has over 100 worldwide patents. They manufacture their products as environmentally friendly as possible without sacrificing performance.
AttaBox’s Heartland® Polycarbonate enclosures feature the reliable protection of Robotically Applied Foam-In-Place gaskets
AttaBox® Enclosures, the world’s most specified polycarbonate, and non-metallic electrical and industrial enclosures have announced the latest product innovation for its Heartland® series of enclosures: Foam-In-Place gaskets. Foam-In-Place gaskets offer a proven history of providing full secure contact to the mating cover surface with a continuous overlapping seal that ensures no air gaps, no glue joints, and no shrinking of gasket size due to stretching of the material. The result is maximum sealing integrity and reliable protection of all wiring, connections, instrumentation, and controls housed by Heartland® enclosures. Since its introduction, the Heartland® product line has gone through a series of upgrades and innovations designed to increase security and protection, reduce modification time and costs, and expand the availability of standard offerings. The latest addition of foam-in-place gaskets builds on this commitment to enclosure excellence. The Heartland® series is the most innovative, durable, and reliable polycarbonate enclosures available. The Heartland® is one box, one solution enclosure, and can be configured as either a screw cover or hinged cover, available in 13 sizes from 6×6 to 24×24, with either opaque or clear smoked covers. They are listed cULus Type 4X with select sizes, Type 6P for the US and Canada, and are listed IEC IP66 with select sizes IP68. Heartland® Innovations: 1. Panel Management: Heartland® is designed with innovative panel management and side mount capabilities, which allows full use of the interior space to maximize component placement and design flexibility. 2. Latch Material Options: Heartland® polycarbonate enclosures are available with matching polycarbonate latches for a fully nonmetallic enclosure solution, or with stainless steel latches. Latches can be swapped easily without any tools, making retrofitting the enclosures in the field accessible to all users. 3. 6 Standard Colors: Originally available in gray with an opaque or clear smoked cover, the Heartland® series is now available in six standard colors (gray, white, black, red, yellow, and blue). This greatly improves lead times for users looking for a color enclosure solution to stand out, blend in, or meet safety and visibility requirements. 4. Foam-In-Place Gaskets: Now available for all product sizes, the latest performance upgrade to the Heartland® polycarbonate enclosures series features robotically applied Foam-In-Place gaskets instead of the traditional neoprene rope gasketing. AttaBox® is an innovative force in the engineering, manufacturing, and marketing of non-metallic enclosures. We make it easy for our enclosure users to get reliable NEMA 4X and UL -certified protection by making an outstanding product and service quality quickly available through diverse channels including price-competitive online e-commerce, and direct business-to-business one-stop availability. Our state-of-the-art manufacturing technology is U.S.-based and provides customers with a total solution for application challenges demanding the best from protective enclosures.
The Fickle Workforce
Much has been written in the past decade about the demographic shift from “boomers” to “millennials”. I was born in 1959, which puts me squarely in the boomer category, and I, like others in this tenured industry, struggled to adapt to the priorities and motivations of the millennial generation. When I entered this industry in 1983, I was determined to find my place, climb the corporate ladder, and stay put for the indefinite future. I stayed at my first dealership for seven years. My second post lasted 26 years. That’s what boomers do. They endure. Work is seen as a calling. Loyalty and legacy are important. Your occupation is connected with your identity. Work-life and personal life are intertwined. Not so much with our millennial co-workers. With rare exceptions, this group doesn’t really see work as a calling. Instead, work is viewed as a CONTRACT. “I’ll trade my hours for your dollars”. Work-life and personal life are mutually exclusive. Switching employers is predicated primarily on personal satisfaction. Millennials tend to grow tired of assignments that don’t interest them, or that don’t add to their personal development. Hence their tenure at any particular employer has noticeably declined. A Bureau of Labor Statistics report issued in September of 2020 highlighted these differences: “Median employee tenure was generally higher among older workers than younger ones. For example, the median tenure of workers ages 55 to 64 (9.9 years) was more than three times that of workers ages 25 to 34 years (2.8 years).” 1 For employers, this shift represents a sea change in how staffing is administrated, and how workplace satisfaction is measured and aligned. The investment costs in hiring, training, and retaining employees have not abated. In fact, not a year goes by where January 1st there aren’t multiple new federal and state regulations enacted that continue to challenge even the best HR professionals. Finding employees that want to work and have the right background is hard enough. Keeping them seems to be even more difficult. Enter the “gig” economy One of the ways the workforce is evolving is in the expansion of freelance “project” work. This is colloquially known as the “gig” economy. The most prevalent examples are on your smartphone right now. The success of Uber and Lyft shows the wide acceptance of itinerant work. As the movement grew, project work became less of a “side-hustle” and more of a mainstream occupational reality. Generation Z (people born after 1997), hot on the heels of the millennials, loves the autonomy and the freedom of expression that comes with not being tied to any single employer for more than a short while. They have the education and digital skills to be effective. They understand and are committed to the short-term “mission” because meeting mission objectives define their value for the next “gig”. Freelance work is distasteful to most boomers as they came of age in a world that clung to the security of long-term employment. Most boomers will be able to finish out their career path without changing lanes, but for everyone born after 1970 … the working world of the 2020s and 2030s will see changes that nobody ever expected. Can dealerships adapt to the gig economy format? The distribution business will find it difficult to amend its operating model to utilize the gig workforce platform. Many of the resources we need to operate efficiently require the knowledge and experience that can only be accumulated over time. Industries such as advertising, consumer goods, fashion, software, engineering, and medicine all offer ripe opportunities for project-driven initiatives, but the needs of distributors are unique and are best performed by a seasoned workforce. So, we have a hill to climb. As we power into 2022 (and beyond), we will be faced with a transitory workforce. How can we make it LESS transitory? Here are some ideas. We must resonate If it’s not meaningful, it won’t matter. We cannot expect assigned work to be a priority if it does not resonate personally with the employee. How can we make a PM service resonate with a young technician? That sounds like a hard sell. Actually, any task can resonate if we surround it with the correct motivational processes. I use the following flow chart to govern the process: Model Measure Report Reward Model: It won’t resonate if we “wing it”. We have to have a hard and fast written SOP for every task, whether it be timecard posting, work order processing, or PM completion. We simply cannot effectively and objectively assess performance if the standards are not understood! Measure: How many were done correctly? How many were not? How can we improve? What tools, policies, or changes must be instituted to have a better process and a better score. Example: In the case of PM’s, we will want to include the following measurements: Additional maintenance services sold by the technician (trans, hydraulic, coolant, etc.…) Segment two repairs found and quoted Completion of all work in the allotted time No negative customer comments Van cleanliness and housekeeping All of these metrics can be assessed as a point value and used to recognize the employee for both performance and improvement. Report: In every case, a report showing performance toward a goal should be generated. Some objectives will be personal and kept between the manager and the employee. Other objectives can serve as a platform for competition. There should be personal goals and team goals in every department. The more that relevant reporting is discussed, the higher the chance that resonance will be found. Reward: Wages and salaries are what we pay an employee to be there and get the job done. Rewards are paid for meeting specific meaningful goals both on the personal and team level. This can be done with cash (through payroll), redeemable points, travel rewards, merchandise (Snap-On, gift cards), or even PTO. The rules are simple. Pay rewards NO LESS than monthly Pay rewards PUBLICLY (during staff meetings) so that we can celebrate the wins
Acquiring Talent
Happy New Year! I am sure that everyone reading this is trusting that the new year will hold fresh opportunities for us to continue building and refining our engagement with customers. A good way to kick that off is by taking stock of the current economic landscape. The supply chain disruption I spoke about in the last edition is still with us, and it’s expected that shortages of critical manufacturing components will continue deep into the Spring and Summer of 2022. I’ve said before, that the calendar holds no magic. When December gives way to January, annual forecasting efforts are many times driven by hope instead of strategy. In spite of our valiant efforts to “pencil-whip” our obstacles; the same realities blocking our progress on December 31st will, no doubt, still be limiting our progress on January 3rd. There are a lot of factors currently in play that we can do nothing to control. We can’t conquer them; we can only prepare ourselves to work “around” them. One of these obstacles has been looming far longer than the pandemic. Last month I talked about “Job Shock”, and how our inability to hire and retain quality technicians has reached critical levels. With a dearth of new equipment on the lot, our opportunities in CUSTOMER SERVICE will be priority one. Our customers will depend on us to extend the life of the equipment that is tired and worn. These challenges will be impossible to solve without hiring more technicians and putting more vans on the road. It’s difficult however to ramp that up quickly. It’s not necessarily the capital investment (vans, tools, and parts) that is holding us back. Most of the dealers I speak to, have MULTIPLE vans sitting empty on their lot, awaiting new staff. Many dealers could hire 3, 5, even as many as 8 additional technicians without having to invest an additional dollar of capex. Customarily, we have used three venues to locate and acquire technical talent. Competitors: We all know that this is the quickest method to fill a van with a warm body. The strategy is based on the assumption that our dealership is already the “employer of choice” with wages, benefits, and working conditions outpacing competitive employment offerings. This strategy however seldom really provides the quality individuals we were looking for. The fact is…the trainable, self-motivated, and high-caliber technicians in the marketplace already have a sweet deal with their current employer. Most of the hires willing to jump ship and sign on with you, always seem to develop training deficiencies. attendance issues, or behavioral problems that never allow them to really help move the team forward. The reasons are self-evident. This is a competitive industry. You know it…. your competitor knows it. Everyone knows what it takes to retain top talent, and they are already offering it. Automotive and Industrial: Making the shift from automotive or industrial repairs to material handling equipment is not a difficult shift. Yes, there is some training needed to acclimate new automotive techs to working on hydraulics or motive power systems, but the “nuts and bolts” of the job are not usually the limiting factor. The issues inherent with the conversion have more to do with expectations than they do with technical abilities. Most of these candidates come from automotive dealerships where they were guaranteed 40 hours a week, and all repairs are conducted under one roof. They also are certain that they will never be called to work overtime on a weekend or after hours. Training, tools, resources, and facilities in an automobile dealership may also be more robust and modern than in an equipment dealership setting. I am not suggesting that these candidates can’t be successful if they are offered in-shop opportunities. The problem here is that we are looking to fill ROAD. Once that tech gets his third call in three nights to repair units after hours, in the elements, they may not be so willing to see it through. Automotive Trade Schools: Graduates from these institutions have invested heavily in their future and are looking to recoup this investment. These institutions however are geared toward (and many times financed by) automotive OEM direct training programs. Students enter the program for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, or Nissan with the assurance that they will be trained and certified to service and repair that OEM’s line of products. This leaves little room for material handling companies to make a competitive argument. Some of these students however enroll in the basic mechanical programs and we should regularly target these graduates with the lure of having their own service vehicle, opportunities for overtime, and a hungry job market in our industry. These three venues aside, my suggestion for bolstering the ranks, is to enlarge the pool of candidates. We can do that by using some tactics that allow us to engage the candidate at an earlier juncture. It will require a longer-term process, and we will have to design and execute “home-grown” training regimens in order to be successful. Most dealers have never considered these options, but with growing market needs, and shrinking talent pools, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Military: If you have a military base in your market area, there is always a motor pool. Here technicians repair everything from armored troop carriers to Blackhawk helicopters. Most military motor pools are manned with enlisted ranks who will “term out” after a period of time. Those who do not choose to re-enlist will need employment. The upside is that usually, the skills and knowledge base of these candidates are top quality. They also have personal habits and interpersonal skills honed by a disciplined lifestyle. They generally enjoy the autonomy of working on the road, and many of them are good candidates for leadership in the ensuing years. The downside, especially for those deployed in combat scenarios, is that they can come with some unexpected mental and emotional issues that may require accommodation. Transitioning troops into private life is taken
Prepare for falling temperatures with Phillips & Temro Industries Zerostart® Engine Block Heaters from TVH
TVH Americas, a global provider of quality replacement parts and accessories for the material handling, industrial, and light construction equipment industries, knows that colder weather brings new challenges when it comes to operating equipment efficiently and consistently. One challenge is that frigid temperatures can make turning the equipment on a bit more difficult and cause them to start up slower. Cold starts can put additional strain on the battery and increase fuel consumption because the vehicle must idle for longer periods of time before being operated. Fuel efficiency can plummet for up to 20 minutes following a cold start because the engine requires a higher fuel to air ratio until it reaches optimal operating temperature. Suppliers, like TVH, have Phillips & Temro Zerostart® engine block heaters in stock and ready to ship. Using an engine block heater to warm the engine, as well as its fluids, makes it easier to start. They will not only reduce overall wear and tear but will also help to reduce emissions while increasing fuel economy. These are best used in areas where the temperature is around five degrees Fahrenheit or colder. An added bonus of an engine block heater is it will also create a more comfortable environment inside the vehicle by allowing the heater to blow hot air sooner. In addition to the Zerostart engine block heaters, TVH also offers these products from Phillips & Temro Industries: Battery blankets Circulation heaters Lower radiator hose circulation heater Magnetic heaters Pad heaters To avoid cold starts and to extend the life of your engine as well as other vital components of your vehicle, check out the complete offering of Phillips & Temro Industries product offering from TVH.
S.A.F.E. delivers maintenance stands to Airbus Helicopters maintenance training center
S.A.F.E. Structure Designs has announced the delivery of custom ergonomic maintenance stands to the Airbus Helicopters Maintenance Training center in Grand Prairie Texas. The aircraft that have been outfitted at the training center is the EC120, EC130, and H145. The SAFETY FIRST ergonomic stands allow technicians SAFE access to all areas of the aircraft while creating a high and efficient ergonomic environment. The stands are designed so that the instructor can train students on how to work efficiently when performing maintenance on the aircraft components. In return, the student are able to focus in more detail on the skill sets offered by the Airbus training instruction due to the safety and comfort provided by the stands. Www.SAFEstructureDesigns.com equipped the Airbus stands with the latest features including an anti-fatigue mat and tool. The stands contour to the aircraft fuselage with sliders leaving zero gaps. They are lightweight, easy to move, and are adjustable in height which allows them to be used on various aircraft. These stands provide a large work platform for added safety and will be used in all the training programs for maintenance technicians. Technicians from around the world train in the support of Airbus Helicopters at this facility. “Airbus Helicopters previously had an old set of platforms that became outdated as OSHA rules and SAFETY guidelines have improved over the years. The Airbus team was keen on staying current with the highest safety stands so they sought S.A.F.E. to develop stands that could provide safe access to all areas of the aircraft and improve the technician’s efficiency through ergonomics,” said Johnny Buscema, S.A.F.E. President & CEO. “During training, maintenance technicians must access all areas of the aircraft for extended periods of time. Our custom design provides the instructor and the student with a stand that improves safety which allows the student to concentrate on the training. This support equipment enhances the outstanding maintenance training provided to Airbus customers. We have provided similar support equipment for a wide range of helicopters and airplanes in both the civilian and military sector.” S.A.F.E. Structure Designs is the global leader in maintenance support equipment that strives to put safety first. S.A.F.E. listens to the needs of the maintenance teams and designs custom equipment to the exact specifications that consider realistic ergonomic factors as well as efficiency. S.A.F.E provides the answers to the unique challenges of working on complex aircraft
Force Control introduces Quick Ship Program for MagnaShear™ Motor Brakes
Force Control Industries introduces a quick ship program for MagnaShear™ motor brakes, with American-made parts ready for assembly in as little as a day. Brakeless brake motors from ¾ to 5 HP are also in stock, so that assembled brake motors can be delivered quickly, eliminating the supply chain woes, and the need to use inferior dry friction braking systems. For example, a MagnsShear™ brake mounted to a high-quality Baldor cast iron C face severe duty motor can be shipped within a day or two. Brake and motor assembly can be painted together, which is ideal for marine and washdown duty applications, and others. MagnaShear™ motor brake assemblies feature oil shear technology, so they do not require regular maintenance or adjustment. With quiet, smooth operation and high accuracy and repeatability, they provide a long service life (typically 5-10x that of dry friction brakes). Ideal for use in a diverse range of industries and applications, these brake assemblies excel in applications with high cycle counts and repeatability. They are totally enclosed, making them impervious to dust, dirt, water, oil, and other contaminants often found in harsh environments. Proven oil shear technology transmits torque between lubricated surfaces – thereby eliminating wear on friction surfaces. A patented fluid recirculation system dissipates heat – eliminating heat build-up which is the most common problem in dry braking systems. Elimination of the wear significantly increases service life and virtually eliminates adjustment which also elongates maintenance intervals. The oil shear technology also provides a smooth “cushioned” stop which reduces shock to the drive system, further extending the service life of downstream components. Details on the Made-in-America MagnaShear™ assembled brake motors can be seen at https://bit.ly/3Ci019H . How Oil Shear Works Unlike dry brakes, oil shear technology includes a layer of automatic transmission fluid between the brake disc and the drive plate. As the fluid is compressed, the fluid molecules shear – thus imparting torque to the other side. This torque transmission causes the rotating discs to decelerate against the stationary plates bringing them down to stop. Since most of the work is done by the fluid particles in shear, wear is virtually eliminated. Elimination of wear also eliminates the need for adjustments which are common for dry braking systems. In addition to transmitting torque, a patented fluid recirculation system helps to dissipate heat which is the major problem with traditional dry brakes. Along with heat removal and torque transmission, the fluid serves to continually lubricate all components of the oil shear brake, elongating their service life. MagnaShear™ brakes with oil shear technology provide significantly longer service life, characterized by virtually maintenance-free operations.
DELLNER BUBENZER acquires the business of Hydratech Industries
DELLNER BUBENZER Group has announced the acquisition of the business of Hydratech Industries, the Danish global supplier of high-end hydraulic systems, cylinders, and accumulators for wind, offshore-, marine- and industry applications. With manufacturing facilities located in Denmark, Czech Republic, India, USA, and China and Service & Repair divisions, the DELLNER BUBENZER Group welcomes 300 new employees in its team and strengthens its local presence worldwide. This is the next step for the Swedish company, which is well on its way to realizing its ambition of becoming the world’s leading supplier of brakes and related power transmission products. “Hydratech is a great addition to our group, complementing our ground-breaking invention of an electrohydraulic BUEL® thruster system. This expands our offering to our customers and strengthens our hydraulics expertise” says Marcus Åberg, CEO of DELLNER BUBENZER. The company will operate under the name DELLNER HYDRATECH Group AS in the future and a lot of activities are now processed. Marcus Åberg adds: “Right now it is business as usual. We will continue to support customers and are looking forward to our new colleagues. Together we will continue to develop our companies to the benefit of our customers, our suppliers, and our employees and create synergies when we incorporate Hydratech within the DELLNER BUBENZER Group”. DELLNER BUBENZER is an industry-diverse global leader in the design and manufacture of braking systems for the material handling, crane & hoist, container handling, mining, marine, industrial, offshore, oil & gas, and wind energy sectors. The company is privately owned and part of Sweden´s DELLNER Group with a history of manufacturing brakes since 1936.
Behaviors create results
In my August 2021 column, I discussed the importance of deconstructing departmental silos in our dealerships. Silos, as we discussed, are a naturally occurring phenomenon, born out of a desire by our employees to post successful results. Sometimes however the commitment to departmental performance can overshadow our combined effort to serve the customer in the way he wants to be served. When departmental objectives start to drive behaviors that affect our ability to meet customer expectations, we have to implement strategies and tools that allow us to refocus our efforts back on the customer. In the September issue, I suggested different tools to do just that. Strategies included communication and awareness initiatives that result in better understanding and more efficient communications. I also suggested a dealership-wide commitment to “getting it right the first time”, by introducing the “critical eye” mentality. Deconstructing silos is not an easy task, but we must continue to remember that the customer is not hiring the rental department or the service department. They are hiring the DEALERSHIP. How can we ensure that our CX is governed by a cross-departmental, unified effort and that silo-based activity is muted, or even invisible to the customer? Rewards based on Results Most dealership silo building starts as a response to departmental objectives and the reward systems attached to them. Resources needed to meet objectives are not without their limits and are seldom if ever renewable. Manpower, budgets, tools, and supplies are many times competed for in the quest to get things done, and produce the results that the management is looking for. Time is the most precious resource. Every department is trying to meet its objectives with the same 480 business minutes that each day provides. In view of the challenges that silos pose to our dealerships, I think it would be relevant to consider if there is a way that we can affect the problem at its nexus. What drives your staff to erect these walls? The most obvious answer is the reward system that most dealers attach to departmental performance. Dealers routinely compensate salespeople, managers, and staff alike for meeting certain predetermined goals. Most of these goals are based on financial objectives. On the surface, this would seem to be a normal “cause and effect” construct. Motivate the team by setting a profitability target. If the results of the department meet or exceed the target…rewards will follow. Although issuing rewards for meeting monetary targets seems intuitive and motivating, it carries with it an inherent risk in a multi-departmental environment. Although we want to keep our leaders aware, connected, and engaged, the profit-oriented goals we set for them are based on a “zero-sum game”. As I mentioned earlier, resources are finite, and the clock is ticking. If I am rewarded only if I achieve my departmental objective, then I will resist all attempts at deploying my limited resources toward anything except MY objective. Long ago I had a division manager that was fond of telling his departmental managers: “It’s not important to me HOW you make your numbers…. just MAKE YOUR NUMBERS!” This is the prime example of results-based thinking (punctuated with the stick instead of the carrot). The inference was not so much that rewards would follow success, but rather that unemployment would follow failure! This guy was teaching the class in short-term thinking, and unsustainable results. The way that his managers ultimately “made their numbers” was by reinforcing their silos, many times at the expense of both the dealership and the customer. How can we get our people to view the dealership’s resources in light of the customer’s needs, rather than their own? In order to reverse this trend, I believe that we have to realign the reward system. The right behaviors The value of my next suggestion will be predicated on your belief in the maxim that “the right BEHAVIORS, generally create the right results”. Wrapping your reward systems around behaviors rather than bottom-line profitability is more difficult, but it comes with decided advantages. If my reward system is connected to behaviors, it’s infinitely easier for leaders to embrace the CX standard. Customer satisfaction becomes the FOCUS of your interaction. No longer is customer interaction a burden to be avoided, but rather an objective to be achieved. Managers are more willing to embrace the entirety of their responsibility because their rewards are based on specific behaviors that foster natural success. The dealership loses nothing in the process. Reward amounts can still be BASED on results. The difference lies in the fact that the criteria for accessing the reward are not found in a singular metric (make your numbers). It is instead earned by properly performing duties in a customer-centric environment. Managers can actually be developed with this type of system. The behavior-reward matrix can evolve as the manager gains experience and skills, and the whole system can be continuously calibrated toward your CX objectives. Example: Service Manager Results based compensation: Quarterly Objective Grow service profits by 10% YoY Earn 2% of service NOP Grow service profits by 15% YoY, Earn 3% of service NOP Grow service profits by 20%+ YoY, Earn 4% of service NOP This is a standard cause-and-effect motivation platform. If profit growth is the only objective, how can the manager ensure that they will earn the top reward? What is the most likely course they will follow to create profitability growth of 20%? If results matter, but behaviors don’t, the answer is likely to be – by the easiest means possible. Avoid maintenance to the rental fleet Avoid expenditures on the LTRFM Fleet Avoid internal work altogether Use aftermarket parts to lower pricing and sell more labor Increase fees Avoid training Avoid investments in tools This is not the way to build sustainable results. Short-term, silo-based thinking creates an unhealthy “every man for himself” culture, driven from the top-down. When the focus is on behaviors, development and efficiency are rewarded. We are likely to adhere to best practice SOP’s. This results in
SAKOR Technologies announces Dynamometer Line for testing electric motor efficiency to meet International Environmental Standard including IEC 60034-2-1; IEEE 112B; and Canadian standard C390-93
New models can test a wide range of motor sizes on a single system SAKOR Technologies Inc., a recognized provider in the area of high-performance dynamometer systems, announces that it has developed a series of dynamometer systems ideal for customers required to test and verify the level of efficiency of electric motors in accordance with a variety of national and international standards, including IEC 60034-2-1; IEEE 112B; and Canadian standard C390-93. The SAKOR units can be used to test from two to eight pole motors ranging from 10 watts to more than 3 megawatts. As part of the global effort to reduce the use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, regulators are developing energy efficiency standards for the billions of small, medium, and large electric motors used around the world. These regulations specify how to ensure motors are meeting the efficiency standards that have come into effect or are being phased in. First in line for regulation are induction motors; it is likely that permanent magnet motors will be regulated in the coming years, followed later by inverter-driven motors. The new line of SAKOR motor testing dynamometers offers high-accuracy testing for designers and manufacturers of electric motors of any size, for use in applications ranging from large industrial equipment to consumer appliances, including fans, refrigerators, and washing machines. They have been optimized so that individual machines can test the widest possible range of motor sizes and still maintain necessary accuracy tolerances. SAKOR systems meet the standards’ tight tolerances and exacting requirements regarding data precision and accuracy. Capable of precisely measuring motor efficiency, these dynamometers provide an essential tool to engineers seeking to reduce fossil fuel consumption and enhance energy efficiency to meet strict environmental standards and regulations. “We have worked hard to define this line of systems to give the maximum utility per machine and make it most cost-effective for the customer,” said Randal Beattie, president of SAKOR. “By optimizing equipment to test the widest range of motor sizes with one system while staying within required accuracy levels, customers will need to buy the fewest number of machines at the lowest total cost.”
Van Gool grows Calibration service
Lifting and rigging equipment supplier Van Gool has marked a year since installing a new 350t capacity calibration rig at its facility near Amsterdam, Holland. The machine, which tests force measurement equipment in tension and compression, is part of a fleet that includes 5t (clamp on-line tensile), 35t (dynamic), 50t (compression), 55t (tensile), and 100t (static tensile) testing machines. The largest was chosen based on its compatibility with UK-based load cell manufacturer Crosby Straightpoint’s extensive range of products that Van Gool distributes to the Dutch market. Calibration is the correlation of the readings of an instrument to check accuracy. Load cells—the wireless Radiolink plus is Crosby Straightpoint’s most popular product—are calibrated upon manufacture or distribution, and recalibration is the periodic repetition of that process. The majority (98%) of tests carried out with the newest machine have been on Crosby Straightpoint products, while Van Gool continues to receive load cells and shackles that have been calibrated at the Hampshire manufacturing facility in southern England. Pieter van Duijn, commercial director at Van Gool, said: “The rig is extremely accurate, which we knew it would be, but we have probably used it even more than we expected—with demand coming from across Europe. We believe that we remain the only lifting and rigging company in the world to have calibration capacity up to 350t, other than dedicated testing laboratories.” The vertical universal machine is accurate to Class 1 and is designed to test standard industry size load links and compression cells to 350t. All calibration units are third-party calibrated by Holland’s NMi, an independent specialist in the sector, to ISO 7500-1:2015, which specifies the calibration and verification of tension/compression testing machines. Tensile load cells are calibrated in the lower section and compression load cells in the upper part of the frame. The machine is designed using dimensions from Crosby Straightpoint’s load cells, ranging in capacity from zero to 350t, but additional load pins and reducing bushes were included to house a much broader range of load cells. The Enerpac hydraulic ram is a standard double-acting, 700 bar item that is controlled using a 230v, single phase, electric pump with a fine control valve. In use, the load application is gradually increased using that control valve until test completion. Van Duijn added: “We expect the calibration side of our business to continue to grow, and we will update and expand the fleet in line with demand. We have a good relationship with Crosby post-Straightpoint acquisition and are excited by recent innovations, including ChainSafe, a product for the protection of cargo during transport. The business remains generally positive, despite the pandemic.” Van Gool continues to welcome demand from the offshore, shipping, towing, and crane industries.
Breaking down the silos
Last month we discussed how the departments, or “profit centers” in our dealerships give rise to inter-departmental tension, and “silo-building” activities that if left unchecked, can easily affect customer service and efficiency in negative ways. I wanted to take some time this month to talk about organizational practices and policy standards that help to deconstruct these silos before they even have a chance to affect customer relationships. Aftermarket – NOT parts and service. Truth be told, most of the opportunities to erect silos can be found in the aftermarket department of the dealership. Notice I said AFTERMARKET. This is an organizational practice that I suggest for dealers right off the bat. The reason you have parts and service SILOS is that you have parts and service DEPARTMENTS. The function of caring for customer equipment is fully dependent on both the parts and service mechanisms working in TANDEM, as one entity. The moment that we allow the customer to see the separation between the departments, we have exposed our silos, and we start to lose cohesion. I don’t mean to suggest that we merge these departments on the financial statement. Goal setting, process metrics, and operational tasks are different for each one of these profit centers. We still need the visibility of clear-cut forecasts and functional assessments in each department to chart our progress and adjust our tactics. I’m looking at this from the standpoint of communication, data visibility, coordination, and execution. The customer has to feel as if the parts effort and the field service function operate as a singular resource. How can we do that? Communication tools Every dealer I have visited in the past 8 years, struggles with some level of miscommunication. There is so much data that changes hands inside a dealership that we are bound to misunderstand or misconstrue some of the details. Over the past 40 years, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard: “We need more communication”! My response is simple: No, we don’t! When I was a territorial salesperson back in the ’80s, and my customer wanted to communicate with me, they had to call our main office location. The sales secretary would dutifully put pen to paper, and take a message (remember those pink notepads?). Then she would call my pager. The pager on my belt would vibrate and I had to find a PAYPHONE to call in and get the message. Then I dropped another quarter on the phone to call the customer. Compare that to what we have at our fingertips today! Cellphones, email, voice mail, IM, tablets, laptops, Facetime, Skype, Zoom, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn…. shall I go on? We don’t need MORE communication. We are actually AWASH in communication. What we need is BETTER UNDERSTANDING. Understanding is the GOAL of communication. Adding more ways to communicate without changing the quality of the communication will continue to produce less than acceptable results. So how do we refine our communications and our action plans so that the customer will see a unified, aftermarket effort? Here are 9 policy and process strategies for blowing up (or at least building bridges between) the silos in your dealership. Write Instead of Speak. When there is a choice…write it down. The written word provides visibility and accountability that words just can’t duplicate. Follow Up. If you must depend on verbal communications, follow up with an email to memorialize in writing what was agreed on. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. Every employee has a digital camera today. When we can’t exactly explain it, we can snap a photo. When the serial number is 32 characters long, we can snap a photo. The power of photos is undeniable. Assign Teams. In order to create connection points across the silos, it’s a good idea to assign teams of employees to selected customers, tasks and initiatives. Example: All the customers in Franklin County are assigned to CSR Ben Atkins. These customers will primarily be served by Van 6 (Jon Davis) and Van 8 (Dan Clark). Jon and Dan will use counterman Jeff Baker as their primary parts resource. Joe Jones will be the primary service writer for work orders opened in this county. Ben, Jon, Dan, Joe, and Jeff are now a TEAM. All communication about any service customer in Franklin County should include all team members. This type of assignment makes the CUSTOMERS the focus of the communication and requires that the participants hold themselves responsible to the customers, and each other. Group Email. The ease of digital communication allows us to create “groups” of support staff (see # 4 above) that can ALL be included in the email loop when it comes to managing and communicating customer needs. This is especially helpful when dealing with high urgency items like overnight parts, or after-hours delivery. The ability to communicate a written message from the receiving department to the dispatcher, technician, CSR, parts counterperson, and service writer in ONE message is invaluable. Adopt Urgency. Not everything is a “today” issue. Not everything is a “tomorrow” issue. Some things are. When sharing DATA, also determine and share URGENCY. When a team member from another department expresses urgency…. verify it…then ADOPT it. Just because YOU didn’t get an earful of colorful language from the customer doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. The inability to adopt urgency when it matters is one of the most frequent sources of customer dissatisfaction. Use Active Listening. Active listening is a communication method that is focused and effective. We all have distractions to deal with. Many times, the dealership environment is filled with interruptions, phones ringing, and overlapping conversations. But when it comes to customer critical data, we must listen with intention. Active listening uses a “listen and reflect” method. I don’t listen to RESPOND, but instead, I listen to REFLECT. Every time someone makes a request (in connection with serving a retail or internal customer), you simply repeat the salient points back to the speaker. Example: Field Service Tech asks a
Managing customer expectations
Many of my readers have contacted me recently regarding the customer experience (CX) series that I featured in MHW earlier this year. As customer expectations shift, it’s evident that as trusted allies we must shift with them, and help them to navigate the changes in the supply chain industry. The message that our current CX may be set on “default” mode and not “actively managed” resonated with many dealers. I ran across a couple of things this week that got me thinking about the initial steps in building and refining the CX process in our industry. Control vs Management First off, one of my Linked-In contacts showed some concern about my use of the phrase “controlling the customer experience”. He had a fair point, and I want to clarify my message if possible. I don’t think I would get an argument from anyone when I say that in general, customers HATE to be “handled”. Once a customer gets an idea that they are being manipulated, boxed-in, or otherwise constrained, we can immediately surrender our attempts at creating the CX experience we were hoping to establish. My mind goes immediately to the experiences we have all had at one time or another. I’m sure at least once in your life you visited a car dealership where your customer experience was probably accompanied by the litany of “let me talk to my manager”; a transparent and universally distasteful ploy to use higher authority as a negotiation tactic. Most would agree that this is not an optimum CX. It’s time-consuming, transparent as glass, and infuriating. Equally disturbing is the fact that many events, tours, attractions, or amusement venues routinely have their one and only exit through the gift shop. Yet again, an ungainly and irritating attempt at increasing sales through distraction, and environmental control. Let me be clear. I never look to “control” my customers. My targets for control are instead, our own SOP’s, tools, messaging, and mechanisms that create a resonant CX. Do we have the right people, in the right roles, with the right tools, the right message, and the right data at their disposal to create an experience that the customer actually looks forward to? Putting this formula in place requires you to MANAGE your MESSAGE instead of trying to CONTROL your CUSTOMER. It all starts with expectations A great place to start this process is by reversing roles and attempting to see your CX from the customer’s perspective. Expectations are at the heart of the CX. If we can isolate what the most common expectations are, we can begin to plan our responses and arrange our resources to meet those expectations. Most of the disappointing experiences we encounter emanate from our expectations not being met. These dynamic touches all aspects of our life. Work relationships, personal relationships, raising children, attending church, taking a vacation, dining out, owning a home…the list is endless. Expectations set the bar in all these areas for what we will decide is a good experience and what isn’t. What were your expectations when you arrived at that car dealership? Did they meet (dare I say exceed) those expectations? In most cases, the answer is no. In order to avoid failing to meet expectations, a good first step is actually setting that bar FOR the customer. This is what I call the “this is how it works” discussion. Left to their own imaginations, customers may very well create expectations that aren’t reasonable. If we suggest how our business works, the policies we have in place, what customers can routinely expect, and what options and flexibilities exist, you can start your CX journey by explaining your current processes and the associated value. Seldom is this ever done. Customers generally don’t ask…what can I expect? They usually make up their mind based on how they feel. However, if WE intentionally discuss expectations with them, we stand a much better chance of building CX success. I ran across an example of this a few weeks ago on the Internet. The photo below was posted last week. It was a note, personally prepared by a new US post office letter carrier to his newly assigned group of “customers”. The fact that a letter carrier would view his world in terms of a supplier-customer relationship was itself unexpected. The ongoing content of the letter was even more surprising. “Hello, my name is Jeff. I’m your new permanent letter carrier. I’ve been a USPS employee for 23 years. I pride myself on excellent customer service. I proudly served in the US Navy for 4 years. In most cases, I will place a parcel on your porch, out of the rain (unlike Amazon and FedEx drivers). To prevent porch pirates from stealing your parcel, I will TRY not to leave them in the open. If you need anything such as parcel pickup, leave a note on/in your mailbox and let me know where the parcel is, or if I have to knock on your door to pick it up. If any mail has an unfamiliar name on it, BUT it says “current resident”, then I have to deliver it to you. I look forward to providing prompt, accurate mail delivery in your neighborhood. Thank you! Jeff I am still trying to wrap my brain around this. If anything, this proves that in spite of how we may feel about the US Postal Service, there are professionals out there who truly understand that expectations exist, even for government-mandated mail delivery. We can all take a lesson from Jeff’s example. Let’s break down how Jeff suggested what the expectations of his service should be: Jeff prides himself on customer service. This is his first priority. He is a Navy veteran. Jeff is reaching out with this statement. It’s a valid attempt to personally connect to his customers. You can expect Jeff to interact personally with you. He explains how you can expect him to “protect” your parcels. He also takes the opportunity to differentiate
Regal unveils enhanced EDGE Online product tools
Resources offer a mobile-friendly experience for the company’s Power Transmission Solutions customers Regal Beloit Corporation, a global provider in the engineering and manufacturing of high-efficiency electric motors and power transmission products, has announced it has unveiled its enhanced Power Transmission Solutions (PTS) Edge tools. Regal® Edge tools include product selection modules for belt drive, bearing and gearing products, and mechanical power components, as well as bearing registration and a belt drive efficiency calculator. These improved Edge tools are easier to use, mobile-friendly, and fully integrated into the regalbeloit.com online product catalog. Edge product selection modules assist users in selecting the right power transmission mechanical components based on their specific application requirements. Once they install new bearings products, the bearing registration allows users to not only register their bearings but also manage assets on the Regal PT mobile app. The belt drive efficiency calculator helps users to calculate how much money they can save on energy consumption by using Browning™ belt drives. “The enhanced Edge tools allow a mobile-friendly, integrated customer experience across regalbeloit.com,” said Matthew Clemens, DCX marketing specialist at Regal. “The modules have been updated to help point customers to common parts, versus made-to-order parts, so the primary selections are readily available.” Regal Edge tools are free and available to anyone who registers on the Regal website.
Departmentalization leads to Compartmentalization
It always amazes me how as dealers, we all tend to organize ourselves the same way. I suppose I really shouldn’t be amazed. In any industry, there are methods and processes that are proven to be efficient. These methods become “best practices” in the industry, and the effectiveness of the process should naturally draw most of the participants to mimic the most productive model. Financially the “best practices” in our industry call for the dealership to be separated into 5 or 6 distinct “profit centers” (or departments). We do this because the purpose, expectations, and market focus of each profit center is different. The range of sales revenue, gross profit, expenses, and manpower varies greatly between departments. Consequently, the goalsetting standards and metrics used to measure progress are equally diverse. Normally dealerships define these profit centers as follows: New Equipment Sales Used Equipment Sales Rental Department Parts Department Service Department Integrated Solutions (sometimes included with new sales – other times separated) There is nothing inherently wrong with this separation. In order to set attainable goals and grow all facets of our business, we must employ a segmented approach. This helps us to properly plan where our investments in people, assets, and inventory will provide the best return. When we hire team members for our departments, I think it’s a natural tendency for employees to establish personal goals for success, that are in concert with departmental goals and objectives. This is more than simple “esprit de corps”. Personal commitment to departmental accomplishments may be tied to financial incentives that reward departmental achievement. I have observed that the most successful dealerships SHARE many of their goals with their rank-and-file employees. You have heard me say before that it’s impossible to hit a target that you never hang on the wall. Whether those targets are financial, operational, or behavioral, if you share these objectives, every team member will most likely view them through the prism of their role in their assigned department. All this focus on departments has a downside however that we routinely ignore. One of my favorite business axioms is that “Departmentalization leads to Compartmentalization”. As an example: If my role, my activities, and my rewards are predicated on the success of the RENTAL departments, I will naturally prioritize my efforts based on what is best for the RENTAL department. The emergence of this “silo” mentality is a common internal enemy in any multi-profit center organization. Naturally, we tend to look out for our own interests. Therefore, MY involvement in any particular issue may be mitigated or enhanced by the value that it represents to MY department. By default, my interest is to preserve profitability in MY silo. This danger is more insidious than it seems. Silos can operate on more than one level. Not only do we accommodate departmental silos, but we can also erect branch-based silos. Territorial disputes, inventory allocations, and training support are all areas where our efforts are affected by branch silo concerns. Management may view silo battles, simply as dedicated employees paying attention to the details. We want our employees to be engaged. We want them to watch out for the bottom line. We want them to care about performance. But have we considered at all, how the CUSTOMER is viewing our silo-centric activity? The glaring gap in our customer experience effort may be grounded in our inability (or unwillingness) to defeat the silo mentality. Through all of this noise, one thing remains clear: The customer couldn’t care less about our departments! Customers are not interested in what department is responsible for crafting the solution to their problem. This shouldn’t be a surprise…… customers care about THEMSELVES. Customers care about the part that was ordered next day air, actually showing up the next day, AND BEING INSTALLED the next day. Customers care that we sent the right size forks or the right attachment on the rental unit. Customers care about response time – especially when they have trucks to unload today. Customers care about quality control, PM completion, and parts availability. Customer care about us “getting it”, and about us understanding their urgency. It’s not their job to care about US. It’s our job to care about THEM. They want our relationship with them to be efficient, timely, intuitive, and productive. They want us to anticipate their needs and make their material handling issues almost invisible. None of this can really happen if we are not dedicated to deconstructing silos. If we don’t take silos seriously, we end up with customer communications that sound like: I told the parts department that we needed to order it NDA. The service department was supposed to check the rental before it left. Sales were supposed to contact you about the warranty coverage on that repair. It’s not my fault. That’s not my job. We don’t want to think that we would ever allow a customer experience that includes these responses. The departmental blame game, however, is usually employed as a “last-ditch effort” by a customer-facing employee, attempting to explain the failure. Its roots are fed by the silos, but there are both policy and communication tools that can create an environment where the customer is shielded from ever being subject to our silo-based excuse-making. In my next column (Sept 2021), I will be recommending some operational and policy measures that put critical internal communications and processes in focus. I will also outline suggested customer contact protocols when delays emerge, and commitments cannot be kept. In the October issue, I will challenge dealers to rethink their systems of departmental incentives and rewards. We cannot expect to deconstruct silos if the motivation behind building them remains in place! We mix our message when we say that customer satisfaction is our number one priority, then base our entire reward system solely on profitability. Although we tend to universally use a system that rewards RESULTS (sales, profits, and expenses), it may be prudent to investigate a system that rewards BEHAVIORS. My experience
The Service CX
Last month I started a series on the customer experience (the CX). To refresh your memory (or if you missed the last issue), the importance of the CX in recent years has grown significantly. Communication methods, advertising platforms, social media, and evolving customer demands put the CX front and center. I explained last month that controlling and actively managing the customer experience is driven by the needs of our marketplace. Customers want more from us than a simple equipment transaction. They want us to create an environment where material handling is seamless, efficient, and scalable. They want partners in the process, not simply equipment vendors. Ensuring customer satisfaction as a partner…. rather than a supplier, requires a broader focus and a more careful analysis of every customer encounter. Managing the CX begins by envisioning the optimum model for customer interaction. This model may look different in every department. Every employee must be educated as to what customer interactions should look, sound, and feel like. Customer Service (like everything else) needs to be defined. It also needs to be measured with verifiable metrics and performance standards that are understood and adhered to. As we touched on last month, the CX no longer only engages customers simply with products but seeks to forge emotional connections with them. This hierarchy of connection starts with providing data, then moves into actively resolving primary needs, then expands to continuously resolving ongoing issues. The manner in which we do this is designed to engender customer confidence on a long-term basis. It’s not simply an ideology or a theory. It’s a STRATEGY. This month I want to discuss CX functionality in the service department. Many dealers still do not understand the enormous impact that service department interactions have on long-term customer relationships. A service manager I worked with long ago was fond of saying: “The sales department is good at making the promises that the service department has to keep.” I can’t disagree with that. Service truly is where the rubber meets the road. Keeping those promises is predicated on executing your unique CX using the right tools, the right people, the right inventory, the right training, and the right attitude. There are a lot of moving pieces here. Let’s investigate 2 of the most important tools and processes that need to be working at peak efficiency in order to craft and maintain the CX that we want the service department to generate. Data tools Legacy business systems are cumbersome and limiting, but many dealers still depend on them to conduct business. I get it. As a dealer principal, it’s daunting enough to take on the expense of the system alone, not to mention the disruption to your business processes, financial reporting, templates, training, and “learn by error” realities that are baked into a change of this magnitude. Many legacy systems still in use today were designed primarily for accounting (A/R, A/P, inventory, payroll, and financial reporting). Modules were later developed or augmented to accommodate customer service and scheduling, but these were adjunct processes, not the primary aim of the systems. Newer systems (post-2010) are much better at integrating both CRM and real-time service functionality into a broad-based intuitive platform. The future (and our CX) may require us to double down on mobile devices that allow wireless (same day) billing, interactive van inventories, GPS-based travel time calculations, and the ever-expanding data dump created by telemetry devices. These devices will be standard equipment soon enough, and our digital platform has to be robust enough to manage this data. The agility with which your system can organize, categorize and report meaningful data is inextricably linked to your Service CX. Without data…at your fingertips, you will not be able to manage the CX the way you want to. Not only does your system have to have the capacity to manipulate the data, but your PEOPLE also have to know how to access it, and use it to meet the requirements of the CX. My July article will perform a deeper investigation into why our industry continues to have deficiencies in this area. Suffice it to say that the way we store, retrieve, use, and report data, needs further investment and planning. Equally important, (and insufficient) is the way in which we use that data to serve the customer. Read my July article next month for more on this. Dispatch effectiveness I’ve held an opinion for a long time, and at the risk of angering those who disagree, I want to share it. My opinion is that the field service dispatcher is the most important customer service employee at the dealership. In light of managing the service CX, dispatchers (as a whole) are the most under-rated, and under-appreciated customer service professionals in the industry. Why is this? One of the reasons is that a dealer many times is hiring one skill set when they need another. Look at some of the examples of job postings for dispatchers. The skills desired are a laundry list of administrative functions. Heavy phones 10 Key by touch Intermediate Microsoft Excel Keyboard at 50 WPM The issue here is that the dispatch position is lumped in with the general service administration team, but the ACTUAL skills needed to perform customer contact (in concert with your CX) are much different. The actual list should include: Critical thinking and problem-solving skills High emotional intelligence Multiple task handling Rudimentary mechanical knowledge Familiarity with local geography and traffic patterns High Assertiveness High Customer Empathy I always refer to the dispatcher as “the tip of the spear”, because they are. They will interface with many more customers than your best salesman will over the course of a year. The interaction most always starts with chaos. The customer rarely calls the dispatch desk with good news. They want somebody NOW, they want to be HEARD, and they want to know that we care about getting them what they need when they need it. The dispatcher must be skilled in both reassuring the customer,
Coval GVMAX HD, versatile vacuum for every branch of industry
Vacuum handling systems in the industry must respond to very diverse requirements, gripping parts of different weights or materials, integration on machines and robots, high-speed operation. COVAL’s GVMAX HD series of heavy-duty vacuum pumps combine robustness, power, modularity, and communication, allowing them to adapt to multiple applications. And thanks to IO-Link technology, they are fully plugged-in to the Industry of the Future. IO-Link and NFC ease communication The IO-Link communication interface of the Coval GVMAX HD vacuum pumps makes installation fast and economical, supports continuous diagnostics, centralized parameterization, and efficient communication with higher-level protocols (Ethernet/IP, PROFINET, EtherCAT…). In addition, thanks to the NFC technology integrated with the GVMAX HD vacuum pumps, all parameterization, and diagnostic functions are accessible and can be modified in the dedicated COVAL Vacuum Manager app on an Android or IOS mobile device. The NFC interface combined with the app makes it possible to copy parameters from one pump to another very easily and can store up to five different parameter configurations. Product ergonomics have been centered on the operator, with a Human Machine Interface (HMI) that makes the operating, diagnostic, and maintenance information easy to read and allows parameters to be set up rapidly. The 1.54” color LCD display is intuitive, with explicit messages in 5 languages. The pump status is highly visible thanks to a 3-color status light. Finally, with the GVMAX HD vacuum pumps, the user can benefit from technical assistance thanks to the data sent by the application to the COVAL experts. The new GVMAX HD vacuum pump is designed to permanently communicate with its environment, ready to play its part to the full in Industry 4.0. Performance, robustness, and energy savings Equipped with a single-stage venturi, the GVMAX HD vacuum pump delivers powerful suction rates and reduced emptying times for gripping, transferring or clamping parts of various sizes and weights. For example, max. vacuum: 85%, suction flow rate up to 230 Nl/ min and 0.4 s to empty a volume of 1 liter at 75% vacuum. Each component has been designed and tested in real-life situations to meet the toughest environmental conditions. As such, the pumps are IP65 and guaranteed for more than 50 million cycles. The performance of the vacuum pumps comes along with reduced energy consumption. The ASC (Air Saving Control) technology, which provides intelligent vacuum regulation by stopping air consumption when the set vacuum level is reached, offers up to 90% energy savings. Ease of use The GVMAX HD series is designed to allow quick and easy maintenance intervention while minimizing the impact on production. The patented Smart Swap system, a Coval innovation, allows pumps to be replaced while under pressure and without needing tools. In addition, the modular design of the GVMAX HD makes it possible to make targeted interventions on each pump element, simultaneously lowering costs and intervention time. To adapt to the installation setup and available space, it is possible to install each pump as a stand-alone assembly or as an island assembly of up to 4 pumps with an internal pressure common. What makes the difference • Robustness: designed to operate in harsh environments. • Performance: combines power and efficiency for gripping, transferring, and clamping. • Communication: integrates perfectly into the process of intelligent factories. • Modularity: allows targeted maintenance interventions on each of its subsets.
Osborn hires new CEO to lead next stage of company growth
Osborn, a solution provider of high-quality surface treatment and finishing products, has announced that it has appointed Brian Cassady as its new Chief Executive Officer. Cassady joins Osborn after serving as President and CEO of Municipal Parking Services, Inc., a software-based parking management and violation detection systems technology company. At the helm of Osborn, Cassady will leverage his extensive manufacturing and international experience to drive the company’s plans for continued growth. “I am thrilled to join Osborn and take charge of leading the company to an even stronger position in the abrasives and polishing products industry,” said Cassady. “I look forward to being able to bring my operational experience to a team that is passionate about developing innovative products for our customers, building on an already illustrious 130+ year history as a global leader in surface finishing and polishing solutions.” Prior to Municipal Parking Services, Cassady was chief executive officer at Fansteel, Inc., and led the turnaround of that manufacturer of complex engineered metal parts for aerospace, power generation, and automotive markets. Fansteel was awarded the 2014 Turnaround of the Year Award by the Turnaround Management Association while under Cassady’s direction. Previously, Cassady was an interim executive and operating advisor for over a dozen companies throughout North America and Europe acquired by Sun Capital Partners.