IN PERSON
investing in branches and teams across the globe to reinforce our presence, in terms of sales and services.” At the moment, SCM is not planning on opening new subsidiaries for the foreseeable future. Rather, the company is investing on their current branches, making sure that they add better value to their customers within the country or region. For instance, SCM launched a new Technology Centre of more than 1,500m 2 in Sydney, Australia. They also renovated their Technology Centre in Germany, and the biggest investment they have made recently is their new Technology Centres in Italy, one at the Headquarters in Rimini and the other in Milan, same location where their Superfici factory is based in. Gheller added: “We are also investing in people. We have more and more people in the territories where we are established in, not just in sales but also services, to stay close to our customers. We are investing in competencies, running training programmes for them.” COMPETENCIES This leads to the third element of SCM’s servitisation strategy. Gheller categories competencies into hard and soft skills: The former includes their products and processes, and the latter about training their teams in how to sell and service, how to manage their customers. Gheller cited an example of how they train their employees’ competencies. Within SCM, they have an asset called Campus. It is a training centre enhanced by a digital platform which everybody, be it their employees, dealers, or customers, can access, containing training programmes for interested parties develop relevant skills — for example, on how to run operations, how to ensure the highest possible quality and productivity, and more.
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1 An SCM operator at the Digital Control Room 2 SCM’s new Technology Centre in Rimini, Italy
Thankfully, the downturn is more keenly felt in the panels and furniture industry; Gheller reported timber construction, a segment SCM has been steadily investing, is booming in Europe and the US, especially North America, since it depends on the real estate industry, and sustainability has been a prominent trend lately. And the good news is that the past few months have shown signs of recovery globally. Gheller concluded: “Especially in our core markets, in Italy, Central Europe, and in the Americas, we are starting to see positive signs. Asia is recovering too, but at a slower rate compared to the rest of the world.” P
CURRENT MARKET CONDITIONS Perhaps, more important than ever, creating long-lasting relationships with customers is a must for business to tide through tough times. Gheller took on the position of the new director in a time where the wood and woodworking industry is affected by the global economic downturn. Like many other machine suppliers, SCM performed well for the last two years with massive profits. However, ever since the economy slackened last year, the company has had a rough start to 2024, with order intakes softening, and consumers readjusting their spending.
28 PANELS & FURNITURE ASIA | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2024
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