The Problem
When a potential customer doesn’t have a strong background in the world of automated packaging, they may not ask the right questions to find their best solution. Similarly, the distributor may not be familiar enough with the customer’s application to offer the right recommendations.
Everything they need to work together and build the best case-forming and sealing solution is there. The business owner understands their line and industry inside and out. They know they want more from their packaging operation, but they likely don’t know what that looks like. In fact, they may even have ideas of what they want that differ greatly from what they actually need.
A distributor could tell you every feature available on their machines and which is a good fit for each business. However, with all the available machine customizations and nuances in a line, they may not realize that pieces of information about the customer may be missing from the puzzle. Unless both parties know which details the other needs to share and are asking the right questions to get there, this critical information remains unshared.
The Solution
An in-person audit of the line is the best way for both the distributor and customer to uncover the best solution.
Watching products go through the line and talking it through with the customer, even if it’s just for a few minutes, can give representatives insight into intricacies they may not have seen otherwise. These details can make the difference between purchasing a packaging machine the customer can work with, versus a packaging solution that works for the customer.
This is especially critical when incorporating a new case forming machine into a line with existing automation. Seeing the line gives the distributor information about speed and capacity within the equipment that the new machine will need to be compatible with.
Regardless of existing machinery, bringing in someone who has seen a lot of similar applications and has a strong background knowledge opens the door for more efficient, cost-effective, lower footprint solutions, as well as different options than what the customer may have initially planned on. For example, many customers don’t know about the availability of semi-automatic solutions. The distributor seeing the line could uncover the possibility of this solution in a way that asking the standard questions over phone or email never would. In some rare cases, purchasing machinery without going through an audit can lead to buying the wrong solution and only finding out when the machine gets there, wasting precious time and money.
Auditing creates a huge opportunity to improve a customer’s business and save them money in the long run. Contact a Wexxar Bel representative to start sharing knowledge with each other and work together to develop your perfect solution.
Matt Shockley is the US Central Territory Manager for Wexxar Bel (https://www.wexxar.com/). He can be reached at Matt.Shockley@ProMachBuilt.com.
