Gary Kuehneman explains why innovative services are just as important as innovative products.

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At Whitewater, Wisconsin’s Schenck Accurate, innovation is viewed in a different light. The vertically integrated manufacturer of dry bulk feeding and metering equipment doesn’t just strive to make innovative products; it actively seeks out ways to provide innovative services to its customers.

Gary Kuehneman, Director of Business Development

With more than 90 competitors in the dry bulk feeding and metering equipment industry, “it’s very easy to get lost in the shuffle,” Kuehneman said. That’s why the company has created a culture of innovation enabling it to find the diamonds in the rough in both product and service

On the product side, the 130-employee Schenck Accurate goes to great lengths to ensure its equipment is easy to use and efficient. Through internal and external initiatives, the company continuously generates ideas for improvement by tapping into its most valuable resources: its employees and its customers.

For example, four years ago the company launched its Customer Satisfaction Assessment program. Once customers have been using Schenck equipment for 18 months, they’re sent a comprehensive survey to measure their level of satisfaction. A similar survey is sent out once customers have been using Schenck equipment for five years. The surveys employ an A through F grading system, as opposed to the one through 10 rating system, and the company views any C grade or below, which is hypothetically average, to be a defect.

“If we see a C, it gets routed to the appropriate department head, and a phone call is placed to the customer immediately to find out what led to that grade,” Kuehneman said. “We take customer feedback very seriously.”

In particular, the company asks: since you purchased the equipment, have you made any modifications to the product, or would you like to see any modifications to make the product better? From those responses, the company is able to create lists of recommendations that drive it in new directions for product development and enhancement.

In the four years Schenck has been conducting the surveys on its products, Kuehneman said customers have consistently stressed simplicity of use. That’s why a lead programmer’s nine-year-old daughter found she could set up and operate one of the company’s newest control systems. And the surveys ask a final, critical question: if you were to purchase this equipment again, would you buy it from us? After more than 2,000 responses, Schenck has heard “no” only three times.

Idea mining
The companion piece to the Customer Satisfaction Assessment program is Schenck’s Idea Mining Group. On a quarterly basis, the company forms groups of three or four engineers and sends them out into the field to meet with multiple customers. The group examines how customers are using the equipment and has in-depth conversations with clients about what they like and don’t like.

“When sales or marketing people are talking to a customer, they get one level of information,” Kuehneman said. “When you send a team of engineers, you get a totally different audience with the customer and a much higher level of interaction.”

The Idea Mining Group doesn’t just help the company create innovative products; it serves as a prime example of Schenck’s innovative service offerings. Said Kuehneman, “The thing we hear most often from our customers is, ‘No one has ever done this with me before. No one has ever come in and listened to me like this before.’ It’s a very valuable service for our customers and for us, and the positive impact on customer relations is huge.”

Another example of Schenck’s innovative services is its fully equipped test lab. The company offers customers free access to the lab and its experienced test technicians, allowing clients to test their material on Schenck’s equipment and find optimum configurations.

As a vertically integrated manufacturer, Schenck Accurate can also respond rapidly to any custom equipment requests that come up after lab testing. The service department can deliver critical parts in 24 hours, and because Schenck is part of a multinational company, it can leverage its 22 different locations to provide service support across the world.

All told, Schenck’s culture of innovation has paid huge dividends in both products and services. The company has received numerous accolades for its equipment, including the Frost & Sullivan Product Line of the Year award, and it routinely finishes in the top two when it comes to brand awareness and brand preference surveys, thanks in large part to its innovative services.

“It’s an affirmation of our efforts, but that doesn’t mean we’re done,” Kuehneman said. “We recognize this is something we have to maintain a high level of focus on within the company. It’s not something you can start and stop. We’ll continue on this path worldwide because you never know where you’ll find the next diamond in the rough.”