Connecting machines with people.
No matter how superior an engine is, it alone will not ensure that a car is well made, without increasing the overall functionality of the vehicle. This is the same for compressors as well, since in order to resolve fundamental issues it is essential for the system relating to compressed air to be optimized as a whole and not just the compressor itself.
Our customers are not experts in the field of compressors, so before they can even start considering the optimization of their systems, they can only guess at the type of compressor model they should be selecting in the first instance, this is the reality. Our role as sales representatives is to consider such issues relating to compressed air, for our customers' sake and by putting ourselves in their place. We then propose and achieve resolutions, formulated from the standpoint of experts. This is our role.
Reliability before goods.
“We'll take this model!" a customer might say. We still must ask the customer about the background for its use, which may lead to the need for a new compressor, before we can do anything else. We ask the customer to explain the current status and we also visit the customer's work site to gain an understanding of the actual conditions relating to the compressed air. We then let "what is actually required for the customer" emerge through such efforts.
Items for our analyses encompass a broad range of matters, including the performance and arrangement of equipment, as well as piping, electrical capacity and the like. We then visualize data of their daily operating status, using measurement equipment. We ascertain the essence of issues facing the customer in this manner, to determine and propose solutions.
For example, if the customer is unable to get as much pressure as they require, then the routing of the compressed air, such as the piping, may be reviewed. Pressure settings of compressors can also be reviewed to determine ways to save on electricity charges. Presenting such improvement measures for their current situation is our first step. Our work is sales, which is to sell goods, but that is not everything we do. We consider the relationship of trust with our customers more important than making sales for the sake of the immediate future. Our stance is to value what our customers "gain" above anything else.
Such a stance remains unchanged at the time of product implementation and thereafter. Compressors from Kobelco can be used for over 10 years and as long as our customers use our equipment, our sales representatives stand close to our customers at all times. We conduct periodical maintenance work with our mechanics and engineers, to keep our products in good condition. In the unlikely event a problem occurs, we quickly rush to the relevant work site. We then investigate to determine the cause and present measures to prevent a recurrence. Such detailed action stacks up over time, as we gain the trust of many of our customers for Kobelco Compressors in this manner.
Requirements necessary remain unchanged under any circumstance.
Our stance of considering our customers first remains consistent, whether we are dealing with a small workshop in town or gigantic facilities, such as electric power plants.
For instance, a project requires more than 10 to 15 years to start an electric power plant and operations of such facilities must never be suspended, even if unforeseen incidents occur, therefore required specifications are detailed and strict.
Such projects also involve people from various fields, such as engineering firms, as well as general contractors, since it is necessary for us to understand the circumstances of the respective parties.
Such projects are most certainly enormous, vast and complex. The essence of what we need to do when approaching such projects is the same as others. We first determine “the actual requirements for customers" and then we realize them. That simply is it. Even if a problem is difficult, we will take on the challenge with our engineering team.
We do not look for reasons why something cannot be done, but rather, we find ways to get things done. We always aim to go one step beyond the customer's expectations.
The details of the requirements our customers bring us vary and the scale of the projects are diverse in range, however our stance remains unchanged.
Our spirit is inherited in succession.
The root of our work lies in our spirit, the desire to be "useful for our customers" and to make "customers happy".
This is the same for the sales representatives, who are veterans of decades, as well as our new recruits. The same applies in Japan, as well as overseas. We believe that people within development and production also feel the same way as they put their craftsmanship to work.
The needs of our customers vary from country and region, and they also vary with the passing of time. It is certainly not easy to accommodate such changes, however as long as our aim is to be “appreciated" by our customers, we should be able to progress. We have actually built Kobelco Compressors the way they are today, through such efforts.
We hope to continue passing on this spirit to the world and into the future, staying close to our customers.
