Dedicated processes underpin successful deliveries

Behind every Siwertell delivery is a dedicated point of contact, a refined process and a team of experts ready to respond; Mats Lindqvist, Manager, Contract Management for Siwertell Bulk Terminals, explains how customers are guided from delivery and beyond

Most port bulk operators have heard of Siwertell, or even owned Siwertell equipment, making it especially important to live up to our core values, one of which is: ‘we deliver on our promises’. Siwertell never leaves a customer without having fulfilled our obligations and we take pride in continuously supporting customers, even after a project is successfully finalized.

We believe that it is essential for a customer and the market in general to know that by choosing Siwertell as a supplier, it not only selects a product, but establishes a long-term partnership. To maintain such partnerships, we must be attractive in terms of innovation, functionality, reliability, service, environmental impact and communication.

Six main phases

For every new Siwertell project there are six main phases: initiation, planning, execution, delivery, closing and warranty. Overarching all of these phases are monitoring and control activities, which are ongoing throughout any project process. Siwertell appoints a dedicated contract manager with whom the customer can contact for any project-related queries. Naturally, all our managers are backed-up by a team of experts who are also ready to help.

Throughout the planning phase, design, manufacturing, equipment components and services are assessed, time plans are prepared, and budgets are set. During this time, a ‘kick-off’ meeting is usually held between customers and Siwertell’s project teams. Kick-off meetings provide a platform for collaborative discussion. They are designed to not only ensure that everyone understands the scope of work, project goals, and any possible constraints, but also to help strengthen relationships.

Meeting expectations

It is important to pin-down all major aspects of a delivery early in the contract process and ensure that the delivery scope meets customer requirements and expectations. This avoids re-negotiating a contract further down the line. We will of course always endeavour to meet a change in needs, but this typically has a knock-on effect on the process, sometimes in relation to delivery timings or ultimately costs, so these are best avoided.

Once the basic technical criteria and interface requirements have been determined, projects enter the execution phase where the designs are developed from a component level. Very often our customers like to be informed and sometimes even involved in this process. Siwertell welcomes this as it creates a mutual investment and understanding of the delivery.

The degree of pre-assembly may vary from one project to another depending on our contract terms, delivery time and practical aspects. Siwertell can even deliver a unit, typically a ship unloader or loader, fully-assembled to minimize any disruptions during installation on site. This is especially common in ports with constant ongoing operations, and may reduce on site disruption from months to weeks.

The timeframe of each project process is based on its scope and the customer’s needs. Some of our standardized products may even be ready for immediate delivery, such as the 5 000 S, 10 000 S and 15 000 S type mobile ship unloaders.

Successful transitions

Once the equipment is installed, Siwertell conducts a series of commissioning and pre-tests to ensure that all functions and work ranges meet its exacting standards. Siwertell believes that ensuring customers know how to correctly operate and maintain their Siwertell equipment is crucial to the overall success of all commissioned installations. For this reason, we also provide training and full operation and service manuals, to safeguard a successful transition into customer operation.

During the warranty period, Siwertell maintains the same contract manager and project team. This provides continuity for a customer and, parallel to this, Siwertell’s lifecycle services team is also introduced to ensure this continuity after the warranty period has ended. This is a critical phase and especially important transition period as the customer and Siwertell will continue their relationship for many years to come.

Siwertell is a lifetime partner and always has an open-door policy for its customers. This ensures that important and valuable technicalities are discussed, and operations are optimized.

The value of experience

Siwertell is easily reached, via phone, our website, email and social media. We have installations worldwide and it is not uncommon for potential customers to see these existing references in action and if possible, speak with other equipment users. As far as possible, we encourage this process. Relevant installations are often nearby, but sometimes a potential customer has a specific request, which could relate to a particular bulk commodity, capacities, or machine type; this may involve travelling a bit further afield. These operators are usually more than happy to do this, as first-hand experience is extremely valuable in decision-making processes.

Siwertell’s commitment to improving the efficiency of our customers’ operations by delivering intelligent dry bulk handling solutions, can only be achieved if the market knows about us and our products, as well as our dedication to customer service from ordering, through to delivery and beyond into a lifetime of operation.

We work hard with a worldwide net of representatives and strategically-positioned sales managers to spread the ‘Siwertell’ word, offering tailored visits to analyze operations and identify how customers can benefit from working with us throughout the lifetime of a Siwertell dry bulk handling delivery. This includes continuous operator training and long-term maintenance agreements. Additionally, we set up meetings between different customers and operators, so experience and best-practice is shared.