Scania USA’s Smart Support dealer network is made up of quality service points, strategically placed where the customer is located. The network grows based on customer needs and locations, and each service point undergoes a nine-step process for evaluation, and ultimately a thorough dealer training on Scania’ Tier 4 technology for off-highway applications.
“Scania’s unique position allows us to develop our service network with our customers. Wherever our customers are, we are,” explains Art Schuchert, Sales and Marketing Director, Scania USA. “These aren’t just dots on a map to us; they are quality service locations. If we have an OEM customer operating in an area where we don’t have an established service site, we will get one there if at all possible, or find a solution.”
Smart Support Powered by Scania is Scania USA’s aftersales support of diesel engine products, comprised of systems and well-established processes. “It’s a package to safeguard the quality of the service we give to the customer and present a comprehendible way for customers to discuss how we deliver goods and services.” The Smart Support dealer network has been trained on the latest Tier 4 emissions standards and technology. Scania Assistance is available 24/7/365 where one call locates the closest technical assistance and assists through the entire repair cycle. Minimizing engine downtime means getting parts where they need to be in the fastest time. That’s why Scania located it’s parts warehouse near UPS’s major, overnight hub, allowing last minute shipments and ensuring maximum parts availability within 24 hours.
Scania’s modular platform features 30% parts commonality, which means a larger engine population can be serviced with fewer part numbers and downtime can be quickly resolved. “We’ve made a very focused effort to keep parts available in the United States, and we are averaging about 98.5% parts fulfillment rate on all parts orders we receive,” says James Prewoznik – Sales Manager Key Accounts, Scania USA.
In order to ensure customer loyalty, recommendation and trust, if a customer needs support, Scania needs to be able to respond immediately. “If the product is great, but we can’t support it when a customer needs us, [OEMs] will not continue to use us. We are committed to taking care of our product, whether it’s in an OEM facility or in their customer’s hands,” says Prewoznik. “Parts availability is one part of the puzzle, highly trained service points are another, and Scania Assistance brings it all together to ensure the customers are connected to the right people, no matter where they are located. That is the essence of Smart Support.”
Customers can attest
Oxbo International, a specialized agricultural equipment manufacturer, chose Scania as their engine supplier for four of their new, US Tier 4f products. The cooperation began with one Oxbo Pea Harvester and has since expanded to three additional applications for multiple reasons. First, Scania had the best engine solution for the new Pea Harvester, and Oxbo was extremely pleased with the performance of the engine in the prototype. Second, Oxbo was truly impressed with the engineering and technical support they received throughout the entire design phase of the project. Third, Oxbo was confident that Scania USA and their service network would provide excellent support for the products in the field.
Due to the specialized nature of the agricultural equipment Oxbo supplies, its customers’ expectations for performance are higher than an average equipment buyer. Unplanned downtime for these specialized vehicles can be extremely costly. For this reason, Scania’s prompt response to service needs and best in class parts availability was paramount when Oxbo was selecting its support network.
Another OEM example that easily demonstrates Scania’s customer satisfaction can be seen with Oshkosh Corporation. Starting with the first Striker 6x6, Airport Rescue Fire Fighting vehicle a few years ago, Scania now supplies engines to several of the company’s Airport Product lines, including 4x4, 6x6, and 8x8 ARFFs and both single and dual engine snow removal vehicles. Scania has worked closely with Oshkosh from the very beginning to successfully integrate Scania’s power solution into every new application.
It’s this type of customer satisfaction and reputation for rapid service tailored to the customers’ unique needs that will continue to propel Scania into the spotlight with North American OEMs and end users. Scania’s Smart Support dealer network exemplifies what it takes to deliver the highest quality of attention and service.
