FROM THE CEO
Hey Ground Support World!
You having an enjoyable summer? It’s crazy that summer is almost over. Seems the older you get, as they say, the good times, they fly by. I am fortunate to have a great team and they allowed me to take a few weeks’ vacation this summer. While on vacation I got to thinking (that’s what vacation is for right?) about a customer call we had. The customer wanted ten lavatory and potable water trucks, but they wanted to take some costs out by cutting features like removing the pedestal lift and ordering a smaller tank. Hear me out and let me explain where my thoughts went. Being an owner of multiple companies with the ability to work IN and ON various products, you gain a little insight. Plus, I am the one that says what everyone is thinking but just knows better NOT to say, lol.
I’m sure this buyer for the company was given a budget and rock star status if they could bring some costs down on capital purchases. Kudos, we all want our procurement department to do this, but there are more team members and departments within this company that their decision affects and if they are not communicating, well in my head a few things are going to start trickling down. First, this buyer wanted to cut cost by removing the pedestal lift. Their equipment services regional, narrow body planes and they don’t need the lift.
OK, that is a good chunk of savings. Next, they requested a 400 gallon water tank versus a 700 gallon water tank. Not a big savings, but still a few dollars. So on and so forth, we get to where the buyer wants to go. Now this is where I would like some HONEST feedback. I am going to say UNLESS he talked with operations about these changes, the operations team on the flight line is NOT going to be happy with this purchase. The first time they need that pedestal lift, the operations team now has to search for a unit with one, which costs them extra time. Time equals money, and since the buyer ordered a smaller tank size, in my head I visualize operations going back and forth to fill twice as many times which probably causes servicing delays. Again, time equals money, see where I’m going here?
When I got back from vacation, I instructed our sales and customer service team to ASK A LOT of questions. Is it just a money thing? Are the units too big for the work area and do they really want a smaller unit? Do they only service regional, narrow body planes? When it comes to a capital purchase we all know we have to look at total cost of ownership, usability for operations, and the 3 year warranty that Stinar offers, not just the up-front price.
You may ask why I think this and why it’s concerning to me. If the movie in my head is correct in five years when it comes time to buy more trucks, operations will say stay away from Stinar because the tanks are too small, EVEN THOUGH our standard tank is twice the size of what purchasing ordered. Operations may not have access or even take the time to look at Stinar through a sales team member or our website. And in 5 years, the original buyer may no longer be there and if they are it’s a good possibility they won’t stand up and say, “oh my bad, yes Stinar did have a larger tank, but I had them change it”.
I told the team we have a new tag line:
“We build to the needs of operations, and we make the TCO work for finance.”
As I always say, if you want Quality and Service buy Stinar. If you want price and headaches, let me know, I can send you some names and numbers.
Enjoy what’s left of summer!
Talk soon. Craig Kruckeberg | CEO / CVO