FAE USA’s CEO Talks About Responsibilities in the Marketplace as a Leading Manufacturer.
As a heavy equipment manufacturer, being an industry leader bears a tremendous amount of responsibility towards the market it is serving. Giorgio Carera, CEO of FAE USA Inc., explains how FAE, as pioneer and market standard setter, is proactively addressing such duty.
Why do leaders bear so much responsibility?
Carera: “When you are the market leader in any industry or sector, you have a very big responsibility towards the market, customers, dealers and everyone involved in that specific sector. In the land management equipment sector, FAE is a worldwide leader, trend setter and innovator. We carry a heavy weight on our shoulders and are constantly under the microscope because the expectations from our customers, the industry and the market itself are always extremely high.
Our customers rely on our equipment to grow their business and become profitable. In this industry, individuals can literally make it or break it based on the quality of the equipment that they choose to run. Also, the type of equipment FAE provides is the solution to many important problems and, sometimes, the only solution to those problems. Naturally, we are under constant pressure to develop and produce only top-of-the-line, premium products that serve their purpose beyond expectation and address ever changing market needs.”
What are some of FAE USA’s main responsibilities as industry leader?
Carera: “The main responsibility that we have towards the market is to provide top of the line equipment that makes our customers profitable, which in turn, makes our dealers and our business profitable. There is a tremendous amount of work that happens behind the scenes to make this happen, including significant investments and extensive R&D. This is necessary to keep evolving the product, our support and the way we do business.
Another big responsibility as a leader manufacturer is to keep improving and evolving the products with the help of our customers and for our customers. It is thanks to leading manufacturers like us that the market and the industry can evolve in the best and most sustainable way possible. The goal is always to consistently make our customers more profitable by increasing the equipment’s productivity and reducing operational costs. A piece of equipment from FAE should have the greatest ROI for our customers.
A key factor in fulfilling all of these responsibilities and expectations is determined by a company’s culture. Building and nurturing a team of dedicated employees that believe in the company’s mission makes the difference.”
What Makes FAE an Industry Leader?
“A market leader can not afford to be stagnant and can not be reactive. A market leader must be innovative and proactive. This is what the market expects and this is what FAE is.
In terms of product, FAE’s quality and thoughtful design is unmatched. Given the complexity of most land management operations, FAE produces each machine with extreme precision and accuracy in the details. The ultimate goal is, again, to be different and to be better than anyone else on the market to make our customers successful. The way we see it is that our customers have their own companies to run. They may have multiple employees or they may be a one man show. Either way, their focus has to be on building their company and be worry-free about the equipment. They need equipment that is reliable and that is exactly what FAE provides.
Another characteristic that contributes to our leading market position is that our high quality equipment maintains a higher value over time. This is crucial for our customers to make a valuable investment.Product service, parts availability and training are also focal points for our customers to be productive and profitable. FAE USA delivers in all those aspects and we actively work on refining our processes.
Partnering with a high quality dealer network is also fundamental. When selecting a dealer, FAE USA undergoes a very straight evaluation to make sure the dealer is in the position to distribute and support a premium product like ours. This is another key responsibility for a manufacturer.
FAE invests into the company to make it grow and to develop new products constantly. The continued and steady growth is a clear indication of being a solid company, projected in the long term future in a sustainable way. FAE has been able to grow by expanding production facilities and strengthening the partnership with key suppliers to keep supporting continuous improvements in terms of quality.
All these factors helped FAE to become the market leader. FAE makes the difference! FAE sets the industry standards. FAE innovates, FAE evolves and grows with the only objective to make our customers grow along with us.”
What about the competition?
“The competition? It is great to have competition for a few reasons; firstly, it is a motivation to be better. Secondly, it helps to see how far ahead we are and, lastly, it helps to make FAE the name of the game. In general terms competition is stimulating for FAE and the market because it leads to higher quality equipment , more variety, and greater innovation.”
What role do customers play?
“In business, partnerships are always a two way street. We also have expectations from our customers. To mention a few, we expect them to learn and understand our equipment in full, we expect them to operate the equipment correctly and in the right applications, and, last but not least, we expect loyalty as only loyalty both ways makes both parties successful. The dealers are part of the equation and it is also their job to be part of the educational process.
Our customers are the reason why we exist. The role of the customers in business goes way behind being the buyers. The role of the customers is also to give us feedback on our equipment, on productivity, sustainability, operational costs in different environments, etc. It is thanks to their feedback that we can keep evolving our products. So yes, they bear a good amount of responsibility as well.”
(By Maria Bray)
