Scania annual report 2002

Customers
Scania’s customers are found all over the
world. Their operations may differ, but they all
have in common that in their businesses they
make heavy demands on Scania’s products
and services. All work at Scania is focused on
understanding and meeting the demands,
needs and wishes of these customers.
All of Scania’s operations revolve around extensive contact
with customers from different markets and with varying
needs. In the product development process, this occurs
among other things in the form of “customer clinics” held in
various locations around the world, where new solutions
are tested. The purpose of this dialogue with customers is
to ensure that every new product meets the high standard
demanded by our customers. Scania’s quality processes
are another example of how customers make themselves
heard. Through the Quick process, quality issues are
gathered from customers via service workshops, which
in turn are in direct contact with production and product
development units as well as sub-contractors.
New customer demands
As markets are deregulated and international trade increases,
the conditions in which transport companies
operate are changing in a far-reaching way. Large national
and international haulage companies and bus companies
are being formed through mergers or acquisitions. Meanwhile
many small haulage firms are specialising or are
becoming sub-contractors to larger transport companies.
Such services as financing, insurance, short-term rental
Angel Villegas transports oil for Gabino Celso Correa in
southern Argentina.
and maintenance are increasingly in demand. By continuously
optimising the value chain – from development
to production, sales, customer finance and vehicle service
– Scania helps to improve a customer’s profitability.
Truck customers
Scania’s truck customers demand greater and greater
vehicle availability, often round-the-clock. This presupposes
rapid access to routine maintenance and repairs. For
Scania, it means 24-hour service, comprehensive parts
management, complete maintenance and many other
services generated in close contact with the customer.
A large proportion of Scania’s truck customers work in
the long-haulage segment, where Scania’s closely-knit and
international service network is highly valued.
Drivers, who live with the products, are an important
group to Scania. To develop and build vehicles with the
best possible safety, quality and ergonomic features, product
development takes place in close co-operation with
professional drivers. During 2003, Scania is putting extra
emphasis on drivers, among other things by joining with the
European Commission to organise Young European Truck
Driver, a road safety activity that is taking place in some 20
countries.
Bus and coach customers
Scania’s customers in city bus services today are often
private operators, in many cases active in more than one
country. To a growing extent, they are demanding a total
transport solution, in which Scania assumes responsibility
for everything. Service and repair contracts, financing and
traffic planning are examples of the elements that may be
included in Scania’s bus offers.
Customers in the tourist coach segment previously
composed their own coach, by ordering the chassis from
one manufacturer and the body from another. Today
these customers increasingly often want to buy a whole
bus from one supplier. This means that to a greater
extent, Scania is selling a complete vehicle and assuming
overall responsibility for the final product.
Industrial and marine engine customers
Scania’s industrial and marine engine customers have in
common that they need a powerful engine with an output
of 200-800 hp. It may be a fisherman off the coast of
Norway, the Kuala Lumpur airport or a rock-crushing
plant in the Australian outback. They all demand a high
standard of delivery assurance, access to parts, reliability
and fuel economy.
A clear trend is increased demands that engines
should meet the emission standards of both today and
tomorrow.
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