Perkins people are on the move, carrying the vision forward

Colleen Howard is a market development consultant who leads research into industry trends and customer behaviour as well as execution of the Perkins customer satisfaction programme.

As Colleen explains her role: “I continually look for insights on our customers that we can use to develop better products and services to meet their needs. Since joining Perkins in 1999 I’ve been fortunate to be involved in many projects that have helped build the brand.”

Close collaboration with customers is a hallmark of Perkins business philosophy and, Colleen says, “a major differentiator in the marketplace”.

“Our Engine Mounted Aftertreatment (EMAT) solution is a good example. Having our expert engineers work with customers to offer the best installation, is truly a great advantage.

“Overall, I think customers would describe Perkins as a trusted established brand that provides and supports reliable power solutions globally. I know our OEM customers value their established relationships with us where we work together to get the best product to end users.”

Many of those products require custom engineering to meet particular packaging constraints on customer machines.

Samidha Anand is an engineering manager whose team develops exhaust systems for Perkins^® 904 Series engines including some of the customised EMAT solutions Colleen mentioned.

“We design quality products to ensure our customers can meet stringent emissions requirements, wherever they are located in the world. We collaborate with the customer facing teams to understand who our end customers are and what they value so we can maximise the value of our solutions.”

In nearly 15 years with Perkins, Samidha has been involved developing solutions for many challenging OEM requirements. One in particular stands out.

“A leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment wanted to have a bespoke EMAT due to packaging constraints. The project was technically challenging and a very tight timeline made it even more ‘interesting’.

“We encountered a few challenges during the design and development phase, but the customer had full trust in the Perkins brand and worked with us to manage their test plan, resolve technical issues and deliver a world-class product to production.”

Making sure those world-class products continue to function at top efficiency requires world class service and support.

Vicki Reeves is the service and customer support regional manager for Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EAME).

“We are a customer facing organisation that exists to ensure customers have the same excellent service no matter where a machine ends up. We spend a lot of time making sure our networks have both the capabilities and tooling to make this happen and the support they need from Perkins to deliver on our promise even in unusual situations.”

In more than 20 years with Perkins, Vicki has always been in positions close to customers and products. This is how she sums up the experience. 

“For industrial engine customers the Perkins brand comes with a level of performance and quality that the OEM’s trust their own brand to. The power generation market takes this a step further because end users are more likely to know Perkins than the OEM. They see Perkins as a dependable, trusted brand and appreciate the quality and reliability that has gone along with the name for many years.”

Much of that reputation is built on the level of support customers have come to depend on from Perkins distributors and the Perkins people who make sure it’s available.

Mark Tapscott is a product support specialist representative (PSR). His job is to “support Perkins distributors, OEMs and end users with the goal of making sure every piece of Perkins-powered equipment is always running”.

Mark joined Perkins in 1995 as an apprentice and has been with the company ever since.

“Having been with Perkins my entire career, the Perkins brand is something I’m extremely proud of and I take pride in telling people that I work for Perkins.

“As a PSR, I complete service capability reviews with our distribution network to ensure that if a Perkins engine does have a problem the OEMs and/or end users are receiving the level of support expected from the Perkins brand. I witness our distribution network solving customers problems on a weekly basis.

“The global support network means the Perkins brand is one OEMs and end users can rely on, and know wherever they are in the world they can expect the same level of support.”

The Perkins support network is truly global, a fact that makes Perkins a preferred brand in many industries and counties.

Rafael Souza is Perkins Latin America marketing manager, and works daily with the “people who compose the complete customer experience” including distributors, OEMs, OEM dealers and end users.

A big part of his job is to be “the Voice of Customer inside our organisation and the business voice to our customers. I also interact with the extended corporate team to ensure Perkins brand strategy is adequately understood locally.”

Rafael joined Perkins in 2016, but having grown up in a farming region of Brazil he has “always had contact with the brand”. He notes that “many senior leaders of regional OEMs are former Perkins employees which creates close rapport and positive collaboration”.

Perkins global organisation is an important asset in Latin America. “Today,” he says, “Perkins is the best choice of diesel engines in the marketplace. I have complete confidence that no matter what the challenge is, we are ready to face it and deliver a better solution to customers.”

Going “above and beyond” to meet the unique challenges of OEMs and end users has always been an essential part of Perkins’ approach to the market. The focused outreach to the rental industry provides an excellent example.

Corey Berry is the sales manager for Perkins rental. He is also a highly-experienced rental industry veteran. Corey has been with Perkins for seven years, during which he has guided a highly successful programme focused on the rental industry.

“To me personally,” he said, “the Perkins brand represents a commitment to our customers from a dedicated team focused on quality, integrity, and problem-solving. Every day we strive to exceed our customers’ expectations.”

The Perkins Rental Support Programme is a great example. It’s tailored to individual rental customers’ needs and, among other things, connects rental companies to the Perkins distribution and dealer network. That connection has lowered the average days down and increased “uptime” for Perkins-powered machines in rental fleets.

“That enhances the rental customer's experience with Perkins-powered machines,” Corey added, “ultimately driving sales back to our OEM customers. Working with the Perkins business groups and our distributors to deliver aftermarket, service support leads to rental companies requesting Perkins engines in the machines our OEM customers build. That’s a win-win for everyone.”