O
ften it is essential to enhance the experience with additional and
complementary services in order to show the customer that there is more
to the offering than one or two products. When it comes to the supply
of production technology there are a number of things which a company
can do to enhance its offerings. After-sales service and support is one, but that is
generally accepted as being part of the purchase of the device – whatever that
may be. How can a supplier add extra value?
Johannesburg-based Advanced Machinery has taken an innovative approach with
the establishment of two new companies under its umbrella, one offering training
and the other offering practical demonstrations and production facility. Advanced
Machinery supplies a range of large-format printers, vinyl cutters, laser cutters
and CNC cutters and routers. While some customers will know how to use these
systems and others will be able to figure out how to use them, others will require
some training whether theoretical or practical.
To address the need for this training but also to support customers after they
have bought their new systems, Advanced Machinery is now able to offer
supplementary services. Eric Yin, founder of Advanced Machinery believes
implicitly in the need for training, not just in the technical aspects of using the
equipment which he sells, but also in the development of internal skills to allow
his customers to benefit from business, front office, systems and software
training. To this end he has partnered with Atupiye Simwinga, a man who has
many years in the training sector. Atu is a qualified Assessor, Curriculum Designer
and Training Facilitator and currently pursuing a Master of Business Leadership
degree.
Artium Magister – as the company is named – will be a SETA accredited training
centre able to offer training in various aspects of business, skills development
as well as software and systems training. It will be offering training courses for
the use of the respective software systems for the vinyl cutters, laser and CNC
cutters. He will develop the respective curriculae for the various training courses.
He will also be responsible for student assessments.
The aim will be to train between five and 15 people per course in order to achieve
a cost-effective pricing structure for the courses. This will also allow students
to work together and thereby learn from each other – a proven method for
knowledge transfer and retention.
Atu has already commenced with some training courses but will develop more
as the scope of the Training Centre expands. All of the training provided by Atu
and the Artium Magister Training Centre will be continuously developed to meet
the needs of customers. Atu commented, ‘There is a serious lack of skills in all
sectors of South African business. This training centre will allow us to help to
address this and at the same time improve the capabilities of our clients. We
can also offer a wide range of Product, Technical and Soft Skills training
including performance management and labour relations to assist with the
resolution and management of labour issues in the work place. Altogether, this
should help to increase the productivity of our clients which will ultimately have
a broader impact.’
For the handling of product demonstrations Eric has entered into another joint
venture with Mark Preiss. Mark was formerly one of Eric’s clients and has
practical knowledge in the use of the laser cutting and CNC cutting machines.
He is also proficient in the use of the respective software packages. This new
company has yet to be named, but will include the Initials A and M and will be a
member of the AM.CO.ZA Group of companies, Mark will take responsibility for
demonstrating the various pieces of equipment to prospective clients.
However, there is more to the service being offered by the AM manufacturing
business than simply demonstrating the capabilities of the systems and training
operators. It will also assist customers who have purchased a machine but need
to start production before the machine arrives. Mark will take on customers work
and assist with interim production until the customers’ machines arrive.
Even so, Mark does not believe that this will provide enough work to keep his
facility busy. He will, therefore, be providing a cutting service to smaller
customers. This will include the cutting and building of bespoke staging for
corporate events and functions. He will also provide custom finishes and décor
such as flat-pack table centre pieces for these smaller clients. It is not his aim to
compete with clients who are buying the machinery from Advanced Machinery
but rather to address a market sector which is not currently being supported and
at the same time adding income to what would otherwise be a cost centre for
the company.
Mark commented, ‘There is a large demand for these one-off type of products
which many of the larger companies cannot handle because of the expense
associated with set up and economies of scale. As a small operation, we can
handle things like custom-designed flat-pack bedroom furniture for children and
one-off stage designs for small company events at a more cost-effective price
than the bigger companies would be able to do. This will make these products
more accessible to a wider section of the market. The main aim will always be
to assist the new equipment customers from Advanced Machinery, in this
way we can contribute not only to the company ,but provide the training and
demonstration facilities as well.’
For more information on the CNC Machinery, euipment, training courses and
demonstration and manufacturing services offered by the companies in the
AM.CO.ZA Group of Companies, contact Eric, Atu or Mark on
060 600 6000
or
visit the website:
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