Castool Community

At a trade show recently I was approached by a salesman who said that he would like to represent my company.  He had been selling for a number of years, and seemed to know the extrusion industry fairly well.  I asked him what he did on a typical day.

“Well, I get off to an early start in the morning, load up with donuts, and soon after eight I’m making my first call.  I take in a few boxes of donuts, and my customers always find time to have a cup of coffee with me.”

He said he repeated this four or five times each day, five days a week.  His customers would usually tell him if they were having any problems with his products, but mostly they discussed sports.   His customers were very loyal, he said, and welcomed his calls.

I don’t doubt this.  People often continue to buy because of relationships, but they should also be very certain that they are getting the best available product…the best technology, quality, and service.

This salesman just hasn’t changed with the times.  Today, the extrusion industry is too competitive for this kind of representation.  His customer is not getting the technical advice and assistance it deserves.  His company is not getting the feedback it needs to best serve its customer.  If you continue to buy from a supplier primarily because you like the salesman, you may have a problem.

The extrusion manager of a fairly large company wants to try our dummy block.  He thinks that it may improve his production and save him money.  Unfortunately he can’t.   His boss has a close personal relationship with the representative of his current suppler, and won’t even consider changing.

This company is missing the chance to evaluate competitive products.  It is not even aware of the savings which may result from recent technological advances.  It’s present supplier has less incentive to improve its product, and is also vulnerable to any future change of personnel in its customer’s organization.

What then is the real function of today’s salesman?

The salesman’s first job, of course, is to make the prospective buyer aware of the benefits of his company’s products and services.  The salesman must be credible, and the benefits compelling enough to overcome any perceived risks associated with changing suppliers.  This is best done by referrals to other extruders who use his products. An outstanding product, properly presented, will sell itself.  Dies sell dies.  Tools sell tools.  Of course you can’t really know how well any product will work for you until you try it in your own plant.

Once the initial order has been received, the salesman’s  priorities change.  He must now establish and maintain a close and ongoing association between his new client and the supplier he represents.  He must ensure that supplier and customer become partners in technology.  Without this partnership, the extruder may be denied knowledge of the industry.  Without regular feedback from the user, the supplier cannot upgrade its products to reflect changing needs, and to further benefit its clients.

What kind of information should extruders be getting from suppliers?  A good example might be with regard to container replacement and relines…

Perhaps you are sending your container drawings to a shop which has been building and relining containers for you for the past twenty years.  You may be specifying materials which are inadequate, or inferior to those now available.

Materials have changed, machining technology has changed, and the knowledge and understanding of the extrusion process are constantly changing.  Through their salesman, your container supplier should be providing you with profitable information and advice…

The salesman should be there to assist the extruder when he is using a new product for the first time, to ensure that it is being used properly, that all recommended procedures and cautions are being observed, and that maximum productivity is achieved.

Why is better press utilization . . . reduction of press time per order . . . so vital to success?

The importance of keeping the press running, and producing good product reflects added value per press hour.  Basically, an extruder is a converter.  He takes a material (alloy) in one form (billets) and converts it to another form (extrusions).  In doing this, he adds value.  This added value is really what he is selling.

This is the amount of money actually generated every hour while your press is in operation.

Why is better press utilization … the reduction of press time per order … so vital to success?  The problem is that all costs in the entire plant, except material, continue if a press is stopped, (or producing scrap,) during a working shift.  Even direct labor which is usually considered a variable expense and applied only during actual production, is in fact fixed, in the context of press downtime.  If the press is stopped for an hour, the operator is still paid.

Your added value per press hour can easily be calculated and that is just part of the total cost of press down time.

For any extruder who is running out of time to make a profit, improving press efficiency and the utilization of press time must be his first priority.  Nothing else is nearly as important.

The die is the heart of the extrusion process.  Everything depends on the die . . . . dimensional integrity, finish, press speed, scrap rate, downtime . . . all of these are a function of the die . . . and all affect press time.

The best companies in the industry involve their suppliers in their goals.  They provide exceptional feedback.  They also demand exceptional service…and they get it. Don’t be reluctant to push your supplier.  After all, his success depends on you.  A good supplier will welcome the challenge.

A weekly visit by a salesman carrying a box of donuts, or delivering golf balls, should not affect your decision on where to buy tooling systems.  Are you sure that you are at least aware of the latest advances in your industry?

Forget the donuts …bring the technology.