Uster, Switzerland, 6th July 2020 – For USTER customers, superb support is always at hand. With more than 225 qualified engineers and technologists in its four regional and 29 local service centers, USTER has the world of textiles covered. Its expert teams ensure that every piece of equipment is installed perfectly and running smoothly. But that’s only the start: throughout the long lifespan of the instruments, service teams are ready with rapid technical assistance, even in locations that are in the more remote areas. Some of these dedicated support and service providers are introduced here.
Product knowledge and customer focus are key attributes for the staff responsible for servicing and maintaining USTER equipment, to keep customer production facilities running at peak efficiency. Most of these individuals are all-rounders, skilled at servicing 15 or more different USTER products across an unequalled range of fiber-to-fabric applications.
Support is delivered both locally and remotely, including software updates as well as practical advice in the customer’s own language. Know-how transfer at the local level is enhanced through reliable and friendly service contacts. “Our After-Sales Service operation also follows the USTER ‘Think Quality’ approach, to ensure confidentiality and maintain product value,” says Suresh Kris, Vice-President Global After Sales & Service, Uster Technologies.
Ultimately, it’s the people who make the difference with USTER After-Sales Service. They represent teams based in every textile market, all over the globe, some of which are featured in this article. They, and all the others, continue to provide support wherever and whenever needed – a fact proven even more strongly during the current pandemic crisis.
Success factors
A very ambitious team works at CATEC. USTER’s service and sales agent in Egypt since 1994, this organization has earned over 40 technical credentials, engineering awards, top ranking positions in USTER programs and a certificate of excellence in local service station performance monitoring in 2017. “Our aim is to exceed customers’ expectation and we are convinced that profound knowledge and expertise are one way of doing so. Therefore we take part in the wide range of seminars and training courses offered by USTER,” says Eng. May Ragab, USTER Agency Manager for CATEC.
She is the driving force behind these achievements, working with USTER for over 25 years: her work is her passion, CATEC her home and the team her family. It also feels like a family to Tarek Ibrahim, who joined as a Service Assistant Manager in 1996. Discussions within the team are extremely valuable in seeking the best solutions for customers. Mutual interaction within CATEC is also deliberately focused on encouraging team members to progress their personal and career development. In Ibrahim’s case, this included achieving a masters degree in industrial engineering.
CATEC services go beyond the expected. Customers especially appreciate the fact that quality data is checked onsite – even when there is no apparent issue – to optimize quality improvement and production efficiency. “I like to apply my knowledge in both service and textile technology fields, helping to achieve the next step of quality optimization,” says Ibrahim. CATEC also provides high-quality training courses for customer personnel and complementary application seminars to assist on site. “We teach our customers regardless if, or when, they will buy. That’s why we are ranked for the highest service standards in the market,” says Ibrahim. It’s no surprise that he and his colleagues are often called to visit mills outside their own country if another service organization temporarily needs an additional team member.
Customer satisfaction factors
After-Sales Service is seen as a powerful plus for sales by Kim Kim, General Manager of PT Gansa Techno Center. That was the reasoning behind the establishment of a solely service-focused company for USTER in Indonesia in 2006 to support the sales organization PT. AGANSA PRIMATAMA, where he was appointed Spinning Division Manager.
Kim Kim’s work with USTER products spans 14 years – actually a typical depth of experience among these service specialists. His team of technicians, textile technologists and technical managers has between 6 and 23 years’ experience with USTER products. They also regularly attend a range of training programs, building on a solid background of electronic and industrial technologies, as well as IT (hardware and software) and textile knowledge.
This degree of profound know-how and long experience were invaluable to Technical Manager Adi Setiawan – and also to a customer in Malaysia. When he arrived from West Java, Indonesia with everything prepared for service and calibration work, Setiawan identified other issues which needed attention with higher priority. The customer’s assumption was that ‘service’ included total repair – restoring everything to newly-installed condition. “My colleagues and I, we are used to accepting these kind of surprises as individual challenges,” says Setiawan. In this case, they used the limited time to make the equipment run at its best again, and thanked onsite staff for their support, good communication and relationship which made it possible. Nevertheless, everyone at the customer was aware of the capability and proficiency of USTER service technicians – and they were impressed how they responded quickly, fixing some problems immediately and providing a working solution for other issues until new spare parts could be delivered to effect a permanent repair.
Long-standing relationship factor
One hundred percent dedication also applies to staff at Rauf Electronic Equipment Service, the authorized service station of Uster Technologies in Pakistan for 55 years. Its full range of after-sales services delivers customer care which is individual and comprehensive – as well as customizable. USTER® 9000 after-sales and service plans are tailored for those customers with ISO 9000 certifications, where frequent accuracy and calibration checks of instruments are mandatory. USTERIZED® clients also have a subscription for USTER® 9000 services.
The team at Rauf Electronic Equipment Service (28 Field Service Engineers and 22 Technicians at the workshop) secures a 24/7 service. Their high engagement – sometimes really hard work – has established a strong relationship with customers based on trust. Attending trainings but also on the job they gain valuable knowledge of modern textile technology as well as of industries IT.
USTER services help customers achieve and maintain top performance from their instruments throughout their life cycle. “Optimal performance isn’t our prime goal. We go one step further for our customers, aiming for maximized profitability through greater efficiency,” says Abdul Samad Amiwala, Partner and Executive Director at Rauf Electronic Equipment Service. The company’s service technicians can access the entire range of USTER textile know-how, which is at the disposal of customers, helping them to make their processes more efficient and their final products superior.
Cooperative factor
“Our goal is joint success with the customers,” says Kris, who is in charge of USTER’s global After-Sales Service. “This cooperative focus is what defines us and motivates everyone involved – in the workshop and in the field. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank our staff for going the extra mile in many aspects every day.”
Emergencies often don’t keep office hours. Practically, USTER service stations are available around the clock understanding the importance of keeping instruments and systems continuously operational. USTER® instruments are known for functional design and robust construction. They are quality products, built to ensure they work properly on delivery – and for many years to come – a factor in which USTER After-Sales Service is an essential asset.
About Uster Technologies
USTER is the world’s leading provider of quality management solutions from fiber to fabric.
Uster Technologies offers high-technology instruments, systems and services for quality control, prediction, certification and optimization in the textile industry. This includes systems for quality management, laboratory testing and in-line process control for fibers, staple and filament yarns, fabric inspection as well as value-added services.
USTER provides the globally-acknowledged USTER® STATISTICS benchmarks for trading, textile know-how training, consulting and worldwide after-sales services – always aspiring to fulfill the textile market’s needs, to drive innovation forward with ‘quality in mind’.
Uster Technologies AG is headquartered in Uster, Switzerland and operates worldwide. It has sales and service subsidiaries in the major textile markets and Technology Centers in Uster (Switzerland), Knoxville (USA), Suzhou (China) and Caesarea (Israel).
