PROFILE
CUSTOMER CENTRICITY A FOCUS FOR WALSH WEIR MINERALS APAC REGIONAL MANAGING DIRECTOR KRISTEN WALSH HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CUSTOMERS TO SOLVE THEIR BIGGEST OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES SAFELY, EFFICIENTLY AND SUSTAINABLY.
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ast year saw the Weir Group celebrate its 150th anniversary, giving them an opportunity to reflect on a long history of innovative engineering which began in 1871 when two engineers, brothers James and George Weir, developed a way to improve steamship performance. For newly appointed Weir APAC regional managing director Kristen Walsh, recognising the significant milestone, gave her a chance to connect with her teams to get a deep understanding of the culture and values that have delivered the company so much success. “Reflecting on our 150 years of knowledge and leadership, really gave us a chance to also look forward and focus on where the company is going - ultimately it’s about continuing to care for people as well as bringing value to our customers,” Walsh says A trained engineer, Walsh says an attractive part of working with Weir is to support the company’s local presence. “We have a big operation and footprint. Across our APAC region alone we have 23 service centres, 4 R&D centres and 9 manufacturing centres (including the largest ferrous foundry in Australia – in Artarmon, Sydney). Our engineered solutions and technical teams that support them are some of the best in the world. And we also have unrivalled support from our extensive global network in over 70 countries. “With such big teams, across different locations it’s important that I have strong engagement to ensure our people feel connected to our growth strategy and understand how their role contributes to looking after our customers. “Our customers are at the heart of our business, so I have been spending time meeting with many of them so that we can continue to understand their needs and make sure their requirements are being met.” Walsh says one of the Weir
WEIR MINERALS APAC REGIONAL MANAGING DIRECTOR KRISTEN WALSH
Minerals focus areas in 2022 will be on supply chain and building stock within the region to make sure customers can have reliable access to the equipment and parts they need to operate smoothly. “Weir Minerals is an original equipment manufacturer in the truest sense – we develop, design and make the end-product. We make the critical components and spare parts for our products. And we make them all from materials that we develop and manufacture AUSTRALIANMINING
ourselves, in order to improve our equipment’s wear life and reduce the total ownership cost of our products.” “We are working hard to provide our customers with an integrated solution. While we have always had a reputation as original equipment industry leaders, we are increasingly focused on how we can deliver efficiency, productivity and sustainability improvements for our customers,” she says. “Often this is an outcome of
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Weir providing an increased level of onsite support, particularly during significant maintenance projects or sites being recommissioned. “I hope to leverage my service background to encourage more site-based support to customers, so we can understand what our customers need in real time and help develop solutions, whether it is recommissioning, troubleshooting or making improvements to existing facilities and processing circuits.” Walsh accepts her new role will provide challenges. This includes the high volume of technology and innovation that Weir brings to the resources industry. “Because we have design centres across the world, there are new product enhancements and offerings that are happening all the time, that are fantastic innovations for customers,” she says. “Our APAC team contributes directly to the Weir global product roadmaps and this helps our team be proactive and bring new offerings to our customers early.” Walsh says the company’s plans for 2022 include the opening of a site in Port Hedland. “I recently spent time in Kalgoorlie at our new service centre and visiting customers and witnessed the importance of a local presence for our customers. The strategic location of our manufacturing sites and service centres allows us to meet the specific needs of our customers,” Walsh said. One of the company’s principles is to work in partnership with customers to solve their biggest operational challenges safely, efficiently and sustainably. “As well as a focus on people safety, there is also the opportunity in environmental and social governance (ESG) in how we can reduce water consumption, power consumption and emissions both for our own business and also for our customers,” she says. “We have the engineering expertise to make a real difference and our job is to bring global best practice to the industry.” AM
