Kent Introl’s UK focus: there’s no place like home

In its four decades of trading, Brighousebased valve manufacturer Koso Kent Introl has worked with customers and on projects in virtually every corner of the globe. But as a British success story, it will always ensure that it continues to look after its homebased customers too.

The ongoing importance of the UK market to KKI has seen the recent expansion of the sales team, to allow the existing Area Business Managers the ability to cover smaller individual territories and thereby offer customers an even more attentive service.

James Palmer joined the team last October, to cover central UK from coast to coast; whilst Stephen Magowan continues to look after Scotland, and Harry Thom has responsibility for the South of England.

James’s inclusion in the team follows a subtle change in the KKI customer relationship model for the future. The emphasis will be very much on one key person being responsible for guiding the customer’s access into the company’s end-to-end capability. The Business Managers will provide frontline support at every stage: when customers are placing orders, through production and on into aftermarket. Customers will still access KKI’s expertise in these areas, but the Business Manager will guide and support this engagement, to ensure the customer has a single point of contact and is directed to the specific expertise they might need.

The focus is very much on providing total product support, thereby ensuring whole life cost effectiveness. This might mean that, where existing valves are in situ, the Area Business Managers will provide access to advice on service and maintenance options, sparesand upgrades, to ensure that productivity is optimised and expensive replacements avoided or postponed. For new orders, this might mean ensuring that the whole application in which the valve will be installed is understood, to ensure the specification of the valve under commission is correct, and ensures optimum running whilst in service.

The UK team continues to work with its traditional customer base in the downstream oil and gas industry and with those operating upstream, as well as with customers in the refinery and power sectors.

With the UK economy cautiously welcoming news of a recovery, KKI is confident that this new model will be welcomed by its customers and prospects, who, after five years of economic uncertainty, continue to exercise prudence in their spending. Such customers have learnt the lessons of false economy and are seeking the ongoing reassurance of KKI’s highly accredited manufacturing operations and the fact that all spares come with a certificate of conformance and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) guarantee.

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James Palmer Area Business Manager, Central UK

James has worked for more than 15 years in the valves industry. As well as working in the UK, James has over five years of international sales experience including spells in the Netherlands, South Africa and in South Korea. James has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a member of the Institute of Measurement and Control.

Koso Kent Introl
Tel: 01484 710311
Email: info@kentintrol.com
www.kentintrol.com

Published: 7th March 2014