DEUTZ Corp. takes its relationship with rental customers very seriously.
“We want to be a partner with rental companies and give them the support and technology they need to be successful,” says Grant MacNeill, Director, Service Sales at DEUTZ Corp. “Whether it’s in our support materials, engine design or parts support, we see ourselves as partners.”
Parts are a priority
DEUTZ approaches parts support with the goal of making the process as simple as possible for rental companies of every size and scope. With that in mind, it subscribes to SmartEquip (used by most of the national chains) which allows customers who use the service to look up parts, price parts, and place and track orders. For select rental companies who are set up as a DEUTZ dealer, the company offers its own web portal for parts lookup and ordering. And finally, those who aren’t dealers or SmartEquip subscribers can order through DEUTZ’s web shop.
“We want to make it easy for our rental customers to get parts support, no matter what size company they are,” says MacNeill.
“When your productivity is on the line, there’s no time to wait for your parts,” adds Jeff Wolfe, director of marketing at DEUTZ Corp. “That’s why we’ve stocked nearly 15,000 line items and have invested more than $23 million in parts in order to serve our customers. On any given day, our parts fulfillment team sends out 700 shipment line items, with an average daily value of $300k. We take pride in our 95% fill ratio, ensuring that every DEUTZ user and service provider has the right parts to ensure machines are up and running.”
In addition to the parts support provided by DEUTZ, an extensive distributor and dealer network are available to provide service and parts support at the local level.
Training options abound
“Another way DEUTZ supports its rental customers is through training, and we have multiple avenues,” MacNeill says, noting that training is offered at the company headquarters in Norcross, GA.
When it isn’t feasible to take technicians away from their work for very long, DEUTZ also offers more localized training with its “Train the Trainer” program, provided through regional distributors.
Train the Trainer instructors go through rigorous training criteria themselves, with annual audits to ensure that each of the 600 students who attend their courses receive the same quality of instruction as they would if they traveled to Norcross.
Currently, DEUTZ has 18 certified trainers in the field, authorized to certify technicians in regard to all service or warranty repairs. When in-person training isn’t an option, a newly introduced online portal contains self-paced online courses in sales, service and parts.
“By offering this type of training online, we’re able to focus in person on technical training on the latest engines and the most recent advances in technology in Norcross or anywhere else across the Americas,” says MacNeill.
Tools to try
DEUTZ offers various proprietary systems to customers, such as SERPIC, a tool that provides parts and repair info to companies set up as a DEUTZ dealer or distributor. “It’s like an online parts book, providing all the information on engine parts, as well as diagrams, parts lists, and more,” MacNeill says.
SERDIA, another DEUTZ exclusive, is a service diagnostics tool that plugs into the engine, communicates with the electronics, identifies fault codes, checks engine performance and uploads software.
“Any rental company can buy a SERDIA cable that allows them to see diagnostic info and communicate effectively with a service technician about any potential repairs,” MacNeill says. “It’s basically an interface between a laptop and the engine.”
Direct line of support
Finally, DEUTZ employs a business development manager to work directly with rental companies, streamlining the process of getting assistance when needed.
“DEUTZ is the first of the engine companies to work directly with rental companies,” explains Jim Miller, business development manager. “My job is to make it easy to do business with DEUTZ. If our customers need service help, parts help, or they just need something escalated, I’m someone they can fall back on.”
Miller says DEUTZ is working hard to invest in rental, because it knows engine choice is so crucial to equipment uptime.
“Our goal is to serve the customer, and we’ve invested a lot in covering key territories to ensure rental companies get the service they deserve,” Miller says. “We don’t cut corners at DEUTZ. We’re putting resources into taking care of the customers who are the bread and butter of our business and those of our major OEMs.”
