From the Corner Office: Pizza and Pumps
Upon the arrival of pizza delivery many years ago customer expectations were low. The long wait times were tolerated, high prices accepted and the short tempered order taker expected. The convenience of home delivered pizza grew, bringing other pizza makers into the market and leading to the need for differentiators to define one shop from another.
Incentives such as On-Time-Delivery, gourmet toppings, cheese in the crust, dipping sauces and polite service providers were all ways to attract the buyer. When the incentive of lower price entered the market so began the race to the bottom, pizza builds a perception as a commodity, a mass produced unspecialized product.
Is this the same story for centrifugal pumps? The manufacturing technology available means it is becoming easier to enhance the product. For example, where hydraulic efficiencies were once a way to differentiate the product, now many major manufacturers have the ability to refine hydraulic design ensuring little difference between suppliers. Capital cost becomes a bigger incentive.
The goal then is to not just focus on the product benefits but on the overall customer experience. KSB Canada positions itself on the objective to provide a high level of technical mastery, not just specific to the pump but for the entire pumping system. Pump performance is affected by many variables and though the issue becomes apparent at the pump, experience has taught us that many times the actual cause is a result of something within the system. If we are able to collaborate with our customers, to understand the system requirements we can then increase the comfort of a credible solution.
Are you looking for a true partner to work with on pump procurement or service? Someone who takes the time to really understand your system before making recommendations? Contact us now, it would be our pleasure to support you.
From the Corner Office is a series of articles written by Mike Blundell, President of KSB Canada where he shares his insights on all aspects of the pump business (and sometimes beyond.)