Is what the customer wants what he needs?

by Larry Schwartz

As I travel around North and South America, I have wonderful opportunities to visit many different manufacturing companies whose markets including aerospace, construction, farm, automotive, medical and many others. As I walk the customer’s floor, I see how technology is and isn’t used to its full capacity and I wonder if they were sold the right technology for their needs in the first place.

Some plants I visit are really exciting - they have embellished the technology that is available with many levels of success. They push the envelope and are thinking outside of the box, finding new and perhaps less conventional processes for manufacturing more efficiently and effectively. Then there are the other customers that support the old saying, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” While you can see a transition in their plants from old equipment to brand new or relatively new equipment, you can quickly recognize that their methods of processing or manufacturing components haven’t changed in 15 or 20 years. What they are really doing is buying today’s technology that supports their old methods of manufacturing.

In regards to the latter customer, some of this comes from “they only know what they know.” Employees that have worked together for 20-30 years can be very successful, however, they may also start to feel the pinch that comes from global competition and wonder how anyone can make a part better or faster than they have after all of this time in the business. Many of these same customers don’t appear to invest much into their people by sending them to shows, open house events, seminars, or even participate in free webinars online. They miss the opportunity in some means to visit other manufacturing companies surrounding them – in and outside of their markets – to learn how to apply technology in new ways.

Now take into consideration that the supplier has previously visited a customer. The customer requests information on a particular machine, asks when it’s available and to please deliver a quote. The supplier/sales engineer does as requested, and honestly believes he’s doing a service. I know because I’ve asked. I’ve asked what is the machine for, what is the customer going to make, and how do you know if the requested equipment is right for the job? When the response is 'because that's what the customer asked for, and I'm giving him exactly what he wants.' I find myself asking, “So, now you’re a mailman?”

What I’m hearing is that despite all the knowledge and expertise possessed, the supplier/sales engineer chose to give the customer what he wanted and just deliver a quote. I agree we want to make the customer happy. However, this is where we, as suppliers, have an opportunity to show the customer what he really needs; to give the justifications as to why it is not only better, but is more effective for the benefit of their business. As a result, we can start providing a value and be an extension of the customer’s manufacturing thought process – just by sharing our expertise and knowledge.

Because customers face many manufacturing challenges and pressures from competition all over the world, being aware of technological advances can provide a competitive advantage. For example, knowing how to potentially reduce direct labor costs or find better ways to look at standardizing of raw materials could afford customers some big benefits. However, many customers may not know what questions to ask or what they really need. Maybe the supplier needs to ask more questions of the customer to understand what he was trying to accomplish with the investment he was making.

If as suppliers we can get customers to start thinking a little differently in order to stay more competitive in a constantly changing market, perhaps we can add value to the manufacturing industry instead of just being mailmen. To make a long story short, it’s worth taking a little more time to understand what an individual’s needs are before you arbitrarily deliver him what he wants, because you may have helped him go out of business when you thought you were helping him stay in business.

Larry Schwarz is the President and COO of Okuma America Corporation, Charlotte, North Carolina.