At Your Service
AFTERMARKET
BOOST CUSTOMER CARE
ServicePLUS for the aftermarket ensures your customers get the support they need
ENGINEERING
OPTIMIZE PRODUCT & APPLICATION PERFORMANCE
ENHANCED SUPPLY CHAIN
STRENGTHEN CORE BUSINESS PROCESSES
MANUFACTURING
MAXIMIZE PRODUCTION THROUGHPUT
Uwe Hähnel is married with three children.
He has a degree in mechanical engineering and process technology, and wrote his dissertation 30 years ago at Trelleborg’s antivibration operation.
Since leaving university, he has always worked in the elastomer business in many different functions, departments, companies, markets, segments and countries.
Uwe believes: “As a work-life balance is also key to being ready for a challenging and demanding business environment, I enjoy being with my family, doing any kind of activity, such as handball, flying and playing musical instruments”.
UWE HÄHNEL
Director ServicePLUS Lead Group in Europe & Strategic Projects for Trelleborg Sealing Solutions
Each customer has its own strengths and wants to focus on its core business without any distractions. Combining their expertise with that of Trelleborg Sealing Solutions means customers’ businesses can become stronger.
It starts with engineering capabilities; Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has a broad material, design, and solution offering. Next step along the value chain, we have state-of-the-art production sites and the technology to produce samples, small series, or high-volume quantities at the level of quality our customers expect.
Taking a closer look at customers’ procurement processes, we can support them with C-part management, vendor consolidation or even supply solutions, such as sub-component assemblies. To these assemblies, we can add additional services, leak testing, laser engraving, magnetic field tests and documentation, for instance.
Finally, we support our customers in the aftermarket with numerous solutions, including packaging, labeling, and cloud based data consolidation, as well as installation instructions and videos, plus enhanced logistics.
ITG: ServicePLUS experts conduct what you call ‘line-walks’ to identify potential areas where services can be implemented to simplify or improve a customer's business. What are ‘linewalks’ and do you have a success story you are particularly proud of?
UH: The ‘line-walks’ are a great way to build a bridge between digital solutions and services and the good old analog way of doing business face-to-face. It starts with an alignment between Trelleborg and the customer, which results in development of a detailed plan. Once at the customer, we first carefully discuss the value within the supply chain. The next step is to visit production, following the flow of goods from goods inward to dispatch. A report is prepared from all our observations, and then we present our findings. We are proud of the positive feedback we’ve had from participating customers.
I can’t share specific examples due to confidentiality, but I can give you an idea of the type of processes we have looked at. One of these is from a goods-in department where a worker typed data into a PC, added information from the warehousing system and printed off labels. The worker then opened the bags we delivered the parts in, repacked the parts in different quantities in different bags and stuck the printed labels on these new bags. As a result, the history and cure date of our products was lost, and the first-in/first-out principle could not be applied.
Together with the customer, we optimized the process. We received all the data the customer required on its labels along with the different quantities per bag needed, implementing a Kanban system with our enhanced logistic service.
ITG: What do you see in the future for ServicePLUS?
UH: We’re working on a number of new ServicePLUS offerings. These include the next generation of our 'digital twins' approach, where we create a digital replica of a physical product. This is in addition to Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, RFID technology on Kanban, incorporating more integrated features, enhanced supply chain services, expanded surface technologies and installation tools, for instance.
It is essential we have close contact with the customers to develop and implement the right new services. So, we’re always happy if customers contact us about anything along the whole value chain and start a conversation about simplifying their businesses.