Pilot Crushtec International has been recognised as Metso Outotec’s 2022 Distributor of the Year for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
The recent accolade – which comes on the back of the 2017 Best New Services Distributor Award and the 2019 Best Sales Growth Award – further reinforces the company’s standing as a world class supplier of crushing and screening solutions.
Adam Benn, director, Capital Sales, North EMEA, Russia & CIS and Southern Africa at Metso Outotec, says the selection criteria considered the full spectrum of what it takes to be a successful distributor, not only from a capital sales perspective, but more importantly the execution of customer service initiatives.
“The award is recognition for all-round business performance, covering not only financial performance, but also customer service by delivering on a number of specific initiatives including customer training events, new product launches, marketing campaigns and technical competence development, to name a few,” says Benn.
Francois Marais, sales & marketing director at Pilot Crushtec, says the award demonstrates the company’s commitment to the success of its customers. “For us, this award signifies that our efforts to help our customers achieve their contractual obligations and ensure sustainable business operations are being recognised at the highest level,” says Marais.
Through its aftermarket regime, Pilot Crushtec places a huge emphasis on customer satisfaction. Testimony to the relentless focus on aftersales service, says Marais, are the over 93 000 individual items in its parts inventory and over 2 500 individual wear items. On a monthly basis, the company despatches an average of 6 788 items from its warehouse and its technicians drive more than a million kilometres a year.
Commenting on what made Pilot Crushtec stand out in 2022, Benn says despite the challenging business environment in southern Africa, Pilot Crushtec achieved impressive growth in all aspects of the business. This includes sales of both mobile and stationary equipment as well as the continuous development of service and support capabilities.
“In particular, Pilot Crushtec excelled at being a key contributor to many ‘best practice’ as well as product and service development initiatives, ensuring that the Metso Outotec offering not only remains relevant today, but is ready for tomorrow’s customer needs,” says Benn.
The same view is echoed by Juha Yli-Petays, SVP, Global Distribution Management at Metso Outotec, who says Pilot Crushtec has over the years put customer satisfaction at the centre of its business model. “Since taking over the distributorship in 2016, Pilot Crushtec also demonstrated total commitment to the Metso Outotec brand. With a wide market coverage, the company has a deep understanding of local customer needs,” says Yli-Petays.
Benn stresses that pride in the “premium brand image” is a hallmark that Metso Outotec holds high in everything it does. Pilot Crushtec, he says, without a doubt shares this culture and attitude across the board.
“With 33 years of industry experience – ‘with stars and scars to prove it’ – Pilot Crushtec has what it takes to bring real value to its customers. This is what cements long-term relationships and brand loyalty. The company has a common company culture that is focused on ‘getting the job done’ and consistently looking for ways to work smarter – an approach that is not only energising, but infectious too,” concludes Benn.
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