COLLABORATION: THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND INNOVATION
At PJM, automation is the name of the game, but every business is different, and the unique nature of every single customer is what is driving innovation forward. Automation solutions are not off-the-shelf commodities but require specialised, in-depth knowledge of each specific business area, and, consequently, each of our Key Account Managers is an expert in their fields. Recently, we touched upon our Key Account Managers in the healthcare area, and now we turn our attention to industrial manufacturing and Flemming Holm, Key Account Manager for our industrial customers.
PARTNER > CUSTOMER
Flemming Holm has been working at PJM for three years. As a Bachelor in Technology Management and Marine Engineering, he knows the ropes better than most, and he understands the intricacies of the automation business.
“What is unique about our business is that we don’t trade in standard commodities but in custom-made solutions developed in collaboration with our customers. In fact, we don’t really consider them as customers but rather like partners.”
In Flemming Holm's own words, his job is divided into two categories: “One thing is maintaining a consistent relationship between us and our existing customers – be it daily, weekly, or monthly – to make sure that all their existing platforms are performing to the peak of their potential and our customers' satisfaction. Whatever happens, they need to be running!”
“The other category,” he continues, “is helping our customers develop their platforms if they wish to test or implement new ideas. For instance, if our customers are developing a new product, they present their ideas, and then we put together a team and, along with our sub-suppliers, we do everything possible to accommodate their wishes.”
INNOVATIVE COLLABORATIONS
Just like our automation solutions, innovation never stands still. But innovation is a team effort, and, at PJM, innovation is always with the customer in focus: “Usually, the customer approaches us with a specific need or idea. Maybe their R&D team (Research and Development) have identified an area in the production process with a potential for optimisation, and then they contact us, asking us, “We have come up with this idea, is it possible to adjust the machine, accommodating this idea?”, and then we get to it. Getting the idea is more often than not the easy part; bringing it to life is another matter, when you have to consider all the metrics. But that’s the whole point of our slogan: Automation of Great Ideas.”
That kind of relationship is only possible because we have built so many great, long-standing relationships with customers over the years – and all over the globe. “They know that if it’s at all possible, we can bring their ideas to life, and that reciprocal trust is the driving force behind a huge part of the innovation.”
THESE TURBULENT DAYS
These days, with fluctuating and unpredictable markets, two words keep popping up among our customers: resilience and flexibility.
“Resilience seems to be the word in vogue right now, and not without good reason. Everybody needs to take measures and be prepared for several different scenarios that we can’t possibly foresee. For instance, it’s increasingly important for our customers that we’re able to guarantee supply lines all over the world, because, in this day and age, you never know what will happen tomorrow.”
This has sparked a new focus on flexibility; a tendency that Flemming Holm has noticed among our industrial customers: “Even though the majority of our customers are specialised in their areas, and a lot of their machines have a very specific purpose, they are still looking for flexibility, in case they need to make adjustments or maybe even develop new products.”
With what seems to be an ever-increasing emphasis on Time-To-Market, reliability, speed, and precision will only become more and more important.
THE INNOVATION LAB
Key to our way of approaching innovations is our Innovation Lab, our interdisciplinary test-facilities consisting of engineers, Front-End designers, software developers, et al. “Our Innovation Lab already plays a very important part in the way we approach the needs of our customers, and in the future, the importance will become even greater,” Flemming Holm predicts.
As mentioned earlier, minimising downtime is paramount to our customers, and this is one of the reasons why the Innovation Lab plays a crucial role for PJM and our customers alike. As Flemming Holm explains: “If we are to make adjustments to a standard machine, we have to subject these adjustments to a series of thorough tests to make sure that it doesn’t affect their production capacities. That’s why we bring it back to our ‘playground’ – our Innovation Lab – and in collaboration with our Front-End designers, our sub-suppliers, we make sure that everything works before sending it to our customers.”
This holistic approach – known as Design for Manufacturing – means that we consider manufacturability from the very beginning of the design process. By integrating engineering, design, and testing early on, we help ensure that ideas are not only great on paper but also efficient, cost-effective and robust in real-life production.
As Flemming Holm concludes: “Our customers are experts in their products and markets – we contribute by bringing expertise in how to manufacture those products efficiently, reliably, and at scale.”