Protection of Fuel Tanks Safety ahead! - GL Group

© Maciej Dominik - FOTOLIA
Just A Stamp
Won’t Do WARSAW.
GLC positioning itself in Poland as a high-quality service provider
Rising growth rates, low corporate taxes, a vibrant economic
climate: the kind of conditions to make any
entrepreneur’s heart beat faster. Poland, which apart
from all of this has a good infrastructure and a population
of 38 million with a high standard of education, is also
regarded as one of the most attractive locations for foreign
companies in Eastern Europe. Like every market, the
Polish also has its own special characteristics, which everyone
should be familiar with.
Dagmara Zygowska is aware of the opportunities and the
hurdles within her native country. After five years with the
Swiss certification company SGS, the trained precision engineering
technician, who also holds an MBA, joined Germanischer
Lloyd Certification (GLC) as the new Country
Manager for Poland in 2006. In an interview she explains
the conditions on the certification market in Poland, her
personal objectives in the new post and the qualities that
she demands of her staff. The certification market in Poland
has been growing by an enormous 20 per cent per year
since the late 90s.
The predominant standard is ISO 9001, although the demand
for ISO 14001 is now actually rising faster. Some 40
local certification companies are currently scrambling for
a share of the fiercely contested market, with the largest
slice of 3,000 certifications going to PCBC. The remaining
considerably smaller companies account for 3,000 certifications
in total. Nevertheless, the volume of the national
market leader is still considerably lower than that of the international
certification companies. The largest non-Polish
supplier is TÜV with 3,300 certifications.
Score with Quality
In order to stay in the market, some local suppliers are trying
to make their mark through price. “In some cases we
are seeing price reductions of 30 to 60% – with a considerable
drop in quality at the same time,” says Zygowska, explaining
the current situation.
POLAND | INDUSTRIAL SERVICES
Dagmara Zygowska is
the new Country Manager.
Of course, pricing and quality dumping on this scale
only attracts companies who are looking for a stamp at the
bottom of a sheet of paper. “This is why we have to show
our customers that certification means much more than
this: that it is a critical analysis of existing company procedures,
specification of the areas for improvement and continuing
support for the customer in all areas of business
– both internal and external.”
Raise Market Share
Establishing the name of Germanischer Lloyd as a trademark
for expertise and service throughout the country is
how Dagmara Zygowska sees her goal for the coming five
years. And in doing so, she is extending her horizons considerably
beyond the scope of GLC’s activities. She has
set her focus firmly on the entire range of Germanischer
Lloyd services: cross selling is the keyword when it comes
to acquiring customers. Specifically, her objective is to significantly
raise their market share. Not only through certification
but also with other industrial services. Dagmara
Zygowska has set herself and her five-man team an ambitious
target, and one that calls for expertise and a high
level of motivation. Above all, the new Country Manager is
concerned with giving every member of her team a strong
sense of belonging. “Each individual is responsible for the
success of the entire group; everybody must be aware of
this,” she says. Another essential quality for her employees
is the ability to listen. “To our customers, and to colleagues
as well,” she stresses. She is also constantly reminding her
team that they have to be capable of viewing their own job
from the customer’s point of view. “An inward-looking attitude
is fatal in our business,” Zygowska explains. “We cannot
hope to understand the customer unless we are able to
see him through his own eyes.” ■ BS
For further information: Dagmara Zygowska, GLC Country Manager for Poland,
Phone: +48 22 520 1890, E-Mail: dagmara.zygowska@gl-group.com
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