Middle East Distributor CS Conference 2023: Towards providing "Outstanding Service" to customers

The Middle East Distributor CS Conference was held in Dubai, UAE on December 13th and 14th 2023. It has been three years since the last conference in 2020 before COVID-19. The conference was hosted by Tadano Middle East L.L.C (TME), which invited six Middle East distributors (*). This year, 31 CS representatives from each company, including those from manufacturing factories such as Tadano Japan and Tadano Germany, participated in the event to share information and discuss how to support Tadano products and improve the brand in the Middle East.

(*) Six Middle East distributors
・Saleh & Abdulaziz Abahsain Co. (Saudi Arabia)
・United Alsaqer Heavy Equipment L.L.C (UAE)
・Qatar Tractor and Equipment Co. (Qatar)
・Y.K.Almoayyed & Sons (Bahrain)
・Abdulmohsen Abdulaziz Al-Babtain Co. (Kuwait)
・Al Hashar & Co. (Oman)

The Middle East is Tadano's third largest international market after North America and Europe, and is an important market for the company. In order to maintain and expand market share in the Middle East, CS teams at manufacturing factories, regional subsidiaries, and distributors must work together to provide extensive product support and close communication with customers. On the first day of the conference, Mr. Tokuda, CS Executive Officer, made an opening speech and then TME reported on the CS activities currently being undertaken from the perspective of Service and Parts. Discussions focused on several topics that are fundamental to customer support: for Service side such as the importance of periodical inspections during the warranty period and introduction of training programs in terms of machine downtime KPI, while for Parts side such as the introduction of Parts KPI and proposal of sharing inventory among distributors.

Tadano is focusing on distributor training and management in cooperation with its subsidiaries to further enhance customer support in the international market. Tadano Expert Test, which was conducted by TME in 2023 for the first time, was one example of such efforts, and awards were given to two distributors whose service staff successfully passed the test. “We continue to focus on developing the CS capabilities of our distributors in order to enrich customer support that outperforms our competitors.” Mr. Nakajima, TME Senior Technical Advisor, stated emphatically.

The second day of the conference began with the presentation of CS activities currently being undertaken by each distributor, especially for reports and Q&A sessions on the themes of reducing machine downtime for Service side and increasing parts sales for Parts side. The various issues shared at the conference--approach to machines operating under strict site regulations, support system for engine problems, handling of discontinued parts, support for second-hand machines inflowed from other countries, etc.-- were recognized as what should be tackled promptly by the manufacturing factories and the subsidiaries as a whole, while also working with the supply chains. Reports from Tadano Japan and Tadano Germany followed, both of which introduced CS-related activities from the perspective of One Tadano and emphasized the customer support system by all group companies.

At the first face-to-face conference in three years, all participants renewed old friendships and engaged in productive discussions to the end, sometimes laughing and sometimes exchanging serious words. One of the advantages of holding face-to-face conference is that one can directly feel the enthusiasm of the participants. As in other regions, Tadano is currently in the midst of fierce competition with other manufacturers in the Middle East, including the rapid expansion of Chinese manufacturers. The question here is how to build, maintain, and develop a CS system that provides “Outstanding Service” to customers, giving top priority to customers and products safety, in addition to the product quality of which Tadano is so proud. “The conference is not the end, but just the beginning,” said Mr. Nakai, TME Service Manager. Tadano's challenge will continue together with its trustworthy distributors.