Loxam: Haulotte in pole position

LOXAM: HAULOTTE IN POLE POSITION!

As part of its supplier monitoring program, Loxam Access carries out an annual satisfaction survey with its teams. For Loxam, the aim is to obtain a rating from its 14 suppliers using several indicators. In 2020, Haulotte won first place in this survey. David Gravez, Technical Director for Loxam Access France, tells us more …

You carry out an annual survey of your employees to assess your suppliers: what are the points addressed and the objectives?

Today, Loxam Access invests in the operation of a machine fleet of more than 3200 lifting platforms and aerial lifts from 14 different brands. Once these machines have been purchased, it is absolutely essential for us to get feedback from our agencies and workshops on their operation. So we evaluate the performance of each machine, each brand, by looking at all the factors determining the total cost of ownership (TCO). It involves evaluating the costs of maintenance, repair and downtime by measuring the quality, performance and soundness of each machine, as well as the after-sales service of each of the manufacturers.

This enables us to feed back to each manufacturer with observations, constructive remarks or specific quantified and detailed requests. At Loxam, we operate our equipment over long periods of time, and give priority to quality. Quality of equipment and quality of the working relationship and partnership with each manufacturer.

If Loxam Access doesn’t work with certain manufacturers, it’s always because the total cost of ownership is too high. In the long run, this does not hinge solely on the initial sale price. On the other hand, it varies greatly due to too much downtime, because the quality or soundness is not there, because a spare part takes too long to arrive, because the maintenance costs go up and up, etc. Feedback from our technicians in the field is therefore essential.

How many years have you used this structured dialogue?

 This technical satisfaction survey has been carried out with technical managers from the entire LOXAM Group for over a decade. At the Loxam Access subsidiary level, we take it a step further by consulting all of the workshop mangers.

What do your employees like most about Haulotte products?

With regard to Haulotte, we have seen continuous improvement in feedback and satisfaction from our workshop managers for the past 6 or 7 years, giving it first place this year. It was more than the quality or intrinsic strength of each machine, it came down to the level of customer relations and dialogue with the Haulotte teams in the end. For many years, we have felt and appreciated the fact that Haulotte has really given a central place to customer relations. The dialogue is real, responsive, dynamic, and constructive. We feel we are heard and get tangible answers to our questions in return.

The Loxam technical teams are now consulted further upstream, going as far as participating in the design of new machines or certain innovations which equip them. In the past, we had the impression that when there was a problem with a piece of equipment, it was the responsibility of the operator, who was perhaps not familiar with, or misused, the machine. Today, Haulotte takes a much closer look at our concerns as well as those of the end operators, in an ongoing dialogue. This is important since the markets, uses and constraints are evolving much faster today than in the past.

According to your survey, what are the priority areas for improvement that are updated?

The diversification, both of the clientele and the extent of equipment ranges and uses continues to increase. We are renting machines that are becoming easier to use; even for inexperienced operators, they are sturdy and safe. The difference is in the after-sales service. Support and efficiency in ordering and quickly delivering spare parts, wherever that may be, is essential. Our workshop managers like the Haulotte spare parts ordering site in particular, as it is a simple, efficient and complete website.

Dialogue, information, training, and having available and responsive contacts is absolutely vital for large rental companies like Loxam. When it comes to rental, we need quick responses.

In conclusion, what message would you like to give to Haulotte employees?

I think that Haulotte’s employees continue to hold true to the relationship they have had with their customers for a number of years. There are always areas for improvement, but we know from this dialogue that each particular point can be heard and taken into account. It is both reassuring and constructive. So I would say: “keep up the good work and keep doing what you’re doing. ”

I think that this very privileged relationship with Loxam Access France can still be improved on for other international locations, but the road ahead is smooth.