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CO-ENGINEERING NTS closely aligns communication with the profile of its international customer
NTS CLOSELY ALIGNS COMMUNICATION WITH THE PROFILE OF ITS INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMER
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As a first-line contract manufacturer, NTS focuses on developing, manufacturing and assembling (opto-)mechatronic systems and mechanical modules. Because these are complex products, communication is essential in all phases of a project, which includes international customers of different cultures and in different time zones. What role do the account manager, system architect and project manager play at NTS and what questions do they ask to provide the customer with a realistic picture of the design process?
FROM SYSTEM ARCHITECT TO PROJECT MANAGER
t’ s not higher maths per se: when you start developing, testing and ultimately producing a complex mechatronic system on behalf of a customer, it’ s important to know exactly what he actually wants. Or rather: what he needs. But also: when. Ruben Jakobs is CCO at NTS and knows: ‘To truly understand this, our customer is assigned a single point of contact: the account manager. He is the most suited discussion partner for our customer and initially focuses on identifying the customer ’ s underlying needs: what functionality a certain module should have, how the integration should take place in which machine, etcetera ’ .
TAILORING QUESTIONS TO CUSTOMER MATURITY
The simplicity of identifying the customer ’ s needs depends on the
BY MARJOLEIN DE WIT-BLOK
I
customer. Large companies that have their own engineering department can specify what they need and do so quite accurately. In terms of functionality, but also in terms of timing and costs. This is different when dealing with start-ups or companies that are scaling up. Jakobs: ‘These are often companies where a promising idea has led to the development of an initial prototype and where we can use our knowledge to help with the development of the product and the step towards industrialisation and manufacturability. At these companies, which are made up entirely of pure technicians in most cases, developing a clear insight into what we need in terms of information from them to be able to develop the modules takes considerably longer. ’ The relationship between quality, costs and planning is another important topic for discussion in these young companies. When a customer needs a solution in the very short term, it comes at a cost. If he has more time, it’ll give NTS the opportunity to develop a solution that’ s not only suitable for today ’ s assignment, but one that offers benefits for the future as well. Particularly so in the context of further development, standardisation, improvement or scaling up. Jakobs: ‘To make a correct assessment of this, we naturally also look at the customer ’ s company and to what extent his in-house processes are in order. They are often interesting but also lengthy processes in which a good account manager contributes to realistic expectations of the customer. This is an essential step to steer the project in the right direction and to arrive at an end result the customer can work with. ’
When the account manager knows what exactly a customer wants and both parties know what to expect, the system architect proceeds to making the technical design. Sander Gielen, Manager Engineering D&E: ‘In development projects, the system architect usually joins at an early stage to help design the technical solution. After all, he knows what is possible technically and is able to indicate in this initial phase whether or not certain ideas are feasible and whether there are perhaps smarter solutions than currently envisaged by customer. Yet manufacturing projects too can involve the necessary further development and therefore in practice, the lines of communication with the system architect are always kept short. ’
Not much later, the project manager too starts planning for all parties involved in the agreed project. In doing so, NTS places a strong focus on selecting the right production site at an early stage, so that it can include the production in its planning amply in advance. Jakobs: ‘We have production sites across the globe, each with their own specialisation. So we always try to select the site that best suits a specific product. Not only because this benefits product quality, but also because this allows specialists to think along about the final picture. For example, we assisted a
‘Our advantage is that we have people across the globe who themselves are part of the culture, which of course simplifies communication’ , Ruben Jakobs notes. Photo: NTS
customer who had planned a large number of doors for his prototype, the installation of which involved a multitude of hinges and bolts. Our panel specialist helped him adapt the design so the doors can be hung during the assembly process in a single action. If the machine is produced in series, it will save a lot of installation time. ’
COLLABORATION
In addition, the project manager reviews the customer ’ s own plans. When eventually he wants to sell his machine in a certain part of the world, it makes sense to choose a site that is close to that region. This reduces the logistics costs and brings collaboration with local development teams within reach. So in the context of customer satisfaction, this question is also important in a project. Finally, the project manager is of course involved in the entire planning of the development and the ultimate production. Checkpoints in such a process include the times at which a prototype is expected, when the test phase must be completed and possibly the ultimate application in a machine or an official market introduction. Identifying these points in time is a standard part of the communication.
INTERNATIONAL: EXTRA CHALLENGING
Throughout the process, the
‘triangle ’ of account manager, system architect and project manager remain in dialogue to make adjustments as and when necessary, as early as possible. This presents additional challenges in international projects. Sander Gielen: ‘In some cases, this requires a practical response in terms of finding a suitable time to meet when everyone is in a different time zone. This at the same time generates a bit of togetherness when you all know that everyone is working at a strange time. For example, you
may be working the middle of the night or just before regular working hours start. ’ Other challenges can be found in the cultural differences between countries. Ruben Jakobs: ‘We now have so much experience worldwide that we have developed a deeper understanding of what the different cultures place their emphasis on. Some countries are purely focused on content, to which we tailor our offers and communication. Other regions in the world rely more on personal relationships, which means you have to take more time to come to an agreement. Our advantage is that we have people across the globe who themselves are part of the culture, which of course simplifies communication. As regards communications with people ‘ elsewhere ’ , our employees are trained to at least be aware of the differences. Incidentally, it is getting easier, because we
notice that the world is becoming
‘ a smaller place ’ each day. For example, English is universally accepted in the industry worldwide, making it easier to communicate in the first place. As long as we focus on the customer ’ s true needs, apply a global approach and aim for positive collaborations, there ’ s not a party that we can ’t satisfy. ’
•www.nts-group.nl
