«I have reached the sales world from the electronics department»

Here is an interview with Alejandro Grandes, ZAYER’s Area Sales Manager for different areas such as Germany, The Netherlands, France and South America, among others. He has a long experience in ZAYER, where he started as a Technician in the Electronics Department. From there he moved to the commercial area, where he has been in charge of liaising between the different distributors, representatives, customers and ZAYER for the last ten years.

INTERVIEW WITH ALEJANDRO GRANDES, ZAYER’S AREA SALES MANAGER

Firstly we have talked to him about his career, then about the changes in the Machine Tools industry, and finally about how the customer deals with these changes.

You have been with ZAYER for 15 years now, tell us about your career.

To enumerate I started in ZAYER in 2009, when I was 27 years old. I had just graduated and I specialized in Industrial Electronics, so I was very interested in all the electronics incorporated into the machines, as well as CNC Control. I spent 5 years working on the commissioning of the different models of milling machines and performing technical service tasks. It was a period that I remember very fondly because I was able to really delve into the electronic processes of the machines, a field that I love.

Shortly, I got better at dealing with customers and I improved my social skills. I must had done something right at the time because soon after I was offered a position in the sales department.

The truth is, that I have been part of this department for 10 years now and I am happy here. In the commercial area, I touch a little bit of everything and have a global vision of the entire machine. There are cases in which I rely on the SAT (Service Department) to comment on specific machines.

What do you like the most about your job nowadays?

Undoubtedly what I like the most is to support the sales by explaining in detail the capabilities of each machine. Customers are becoming more and more informed, and for our sales, you need to be very qualified. If the customer really knows what he is talking about, you can create a great understanding of what he is going to ask of his milling machine or machining center and the technology that ZAYER has developed.

In summary, to explain our constant technological innovation, to detail and explain our latest automation progress, and how we do to improve more and more the performance and production capacity of our machines. It is very satisfying when after the sale, a distributor calls me and tells me how the machine is working at the customer’s home.

What would Alejandro Grandes, Area Sales Manager of ZAYER, say is the most complex part of his job?

The machine tool industry is facing technological and digital transformation challenges, in a very competitive global market. The market is becoming larger, more mature, and also more global. Today, customers know the characteristics of our machines and those of our competitors and can choose from practically any brand in the world. They have all the information at their fingertips, so the sales process is becoming more and more reputational. Establishing good business relationships, offering immediate assistance to our distributors, representatives, and customers, and the ability to adapt, are crucial to completing a sale.

Among many other changes, a technological revolution is taking place due to digitalization. How does this change affect you?

The manufacturing of our machines is becoming more and more complex, we make ultra-precise machines, over which we want to have as much control as possible. The service we offer our customers goes accordingly and everything is becoming more and more digital.

Nowadays, we can assist a Production Manager who connects to his machine park from his cell phone or by video call, and discuss the performance, alerts the machine has had, and foresee actions in this regard. Faced with this revolution, we are continuously developing management and manufacturing technology, and APPS.

Obviously our collaboration with the different technological centers, leads of course,  to permanent innovations that enable us to make qualitative leaps. This way, we offer comprehensive and innovative solutions to our customers, putting us at the forefront of the market.

It’s a race that never ends!

Would HORUS NX platform be an example for this?

Of course! With HORUS NX our customers connect to their machine/machines and get the information they are most interested in. From this platform, ZAYER offers an improved service to its customers, with high-value conclusions.

For that reason we also offer remote assistance, to solve problems without the need to move our technicians. We ensure the best mechanical-geometric health of each machine and the customer can delegate the supervision to experts.

We have seen that you attend many of the trade shows in which ZAYER participates. What is your job there?

The entire ZAYER team that attends the shows is available to visitors and they are our priority. Our booths are always buzzing, we hold a lot of meetings with the ZAYER network. Normally we have previously scheduled meetings with distributors, representatives, and customers, of course.

In addition to the agenda, there is also the day-to-day business of a trade show. There are always new visits, and new contacts are made, which we reinforce after the show from the commercial department.

I have no doubt that trade shows are a highlight each year, since we meet with our network in person, and talking face-to-face always helps in the work of the commercial area.

So there we are, we need to be up to the challenge!

Thank you very much for this interview, Alex, we will keep track of you at the upcoming trade shows ZAYER attends!