People + Technology: Iscar UK’s Winning Formula

Machinery & Manufacturing learns how ‘people culture’ at cutting tool manufacturer Iscar UK provides vital differentiation in customer service activities

While new cutting tool innovations are vital in delivering gains for metal-cutting processes, it’s often customer service that provides the UK machining community with the most value. Seeking out a cutting tool supplier that places emphasis on end-user support therefore represents an astute business strategy. Based on its carefully formulated people-centric approach, one particular cutting tool manufacturer that places customer service front and centre, is Iscar UK.

“As a business, we’ve always placed great emphasis on end-user support and service,” states David Jones, General Manager of Iscar UK. “We employ 80 people, with only 20 office-based. The other 60 are external, working face-to-face with customers on a daily basis.”

Divide and conquer

The company divides the UK into seven geographical regions. It has 27 area managers who act as a single point of contact for customers. For each customer project, these area managers call in the best supporting team members who can help deliver the optimal solution, be it regional applications engineers, product managers, project engineers or vending engineers, for example. Iscar UK also has a dedicated team that assists machine tool builders as part of turnkey projects.

Although able to handle everything from the UK, the company has the back-up of head office with a further 70+ engineers when required. The knowledge available from an online database containing thousands of uploaded test reports detailing the results of new applications and tools is a further invaluable service tool.

“All major players in the cutting tool arena have technical centres and engineering expertise, but the real difference in this market is people,” says David Jones. “That’s why we employ based on ‘will’ and train ‘skill’. Successful applicants must be innovative thinkers and demonstrate enthusiasm, desire, drive and resilience. They must want to be successful and achieve objectives. These are our core values. Although all candidates are qualified engineers, we always look for our ‘type’ when selecting people for interview. We want someone we can mould into Iscar experts, while retaining their individual character and personality. Reinforcing our core values during the onboarding process helps create a cohesive experience which aids with a smoother transition and faster cultural integration. Onboarding surveys and regular discussions with line managers create early engagement and a sense of purpose.”

He adds: “It’s all about investment. Once we have the right person, we invest heavily in their ongoing training. It never stops. We’re immensely proud of that.”

Train of thought

Training at Iscar UK initially constitutes a four-month programme that involves gaining familiarity with every part of the business: products, applications, customer service, finance and much more. Training away from the office follows shortly after, helping new starters learn their ‘field craft’. It all culminates in a test.

“The test involves the development of an engineering solution for a real-life component using Iscar’s extensive range of digital tools and delivering a presentation scored by our senior management team,” explains David Jones. “Falling short of the required score results in the delivery of more training and presenting again to the management team until successful. It’s no problem to repeat training. We don’t see it as failure, but as investing whatever it takes to build an asset of genuine value to our end users. Someone who feels comfortable in their role. Someone we are proud of.”

Lee Scaife, UK Sales Manager at Iscar UK, adds: “We even take it down to terminology. It’s amazing how many geographic variations exist for common machining terms. We make sure our representatives are familiar with regional nuances in machining language so they can deliver a consistent message.”

This comprehensive four months of learning leads to the creation of grounded, expert individuals who thereafter embark on a continual process of annual training.

“Training is exceptionally important to us,” says David Jones. “Wearing the shirt with the Iscar logo is a mark of expertise. There’s no way we could just give a new starter his car keys and a set of brochures. It simply wouldn’t work. Our training programme has evolved over the past couple of decades and we continue to improve it every year, because that’s what manufacturing is all about: continuous improvement.”

He continues: “Continued training further strengthens engagement by aligning employee development with company goals and strategies. It cultivates a motivated, committed workforce, leading to higher productivity and retention.”

Pillar of support

Iscar UK’s service provision is extensive. It ranges from full turnkey projects to time studies, process evaluation, CADCAM support, assemblies, tool pre-setting and much more. In particular, the company’s portfolio of digital tools has a hugely positive impact on customer service.

“We can create 3D models of special tools, passing them to customers as STP files ready for uploading into their CAD systems,” explains David Jones. “We can even adjust the tool offset. The system will simply redraw it. We do all of this right it in front of the customer. We can also quote in front of the customer, so the price is available on the spot.”

Iscar UK engineers need full training in these digital tools and many others, including power calculators, tool selectors, electronic catalogues and e-commerce platforms. Virtual reality (VR) is also set to become a big part of customer service activities in the near future. Training will therefore remain a vital component of Iscar UK’s success moving forward.

“It all comes back to supplying a better service,” says David Jones. “Skilled people mean better quality and service for our end users, both direct and indirect. We treat everyone who buys an Iscar tool the same. In the 1980s, Iscar announced it was the company ‘where innovation never stops’. Now Iscar is recognised as ‘where value creation never stops’.”

Double digits

It’s not hard to understand why Iscar UK achieves year-on-year growth. When the current management team started coming together in the mid-90s, the company was half its current size in both headcount and turnover. The customer service pathway they identified back then – and continue to evolve today – clearly has its merits.

“Achieving more growth moving forward is all about service, product innovation and people, which encapsulates why our three differentiators are people, product innovation and engineering approach,” concludes David Jones. “Product innovation is super important and we’re well known across industry for our development programmes, but customer service delivers additional USPs. As the old adage states: people buy from people. Sales is all about the creation and management of relationships and opportunities. Without relationships you don’t get opportunities. And if you don’t manage the first opportunity well, you won’t get another. It’s in our best interests, and that of our customers, to provide the best service. A service which, like our products, demonstrates genuine continuous improvement and added value for customers.”