close Bystronic Chooses First Cut As Sole Southern African distributor 06 January 2012 Investing in one’s customers can result in unexpected dividends. First Cut, an esteemed Southern African distributor of international capital equipment and consumables, has reaped the benefits of placing the needs of its customer base first. During a recent visit by Bystronic’s Area and Sales Manager (South Africa), Phillip Burgener, First Cut was awarded the sole distributorship rights in Southern Africa for the Bystronic range of products. Bystronic has maintained a presence in South Africa since its inception in the late 1980’s but has increasingly felt that its potential for growth and market penetration was not being fully realised through its existing channels. “We had received a number of calls and emails from customers in South Africa recommending First Cut as a possible distributor of choice for our products. Based on the enthusiasm and feedback we received from these customer companies we were motivated to contact First Cut to discuss the opportunities for both organisations,” says Burgener. “Bystronic believes in maintaining close contact with its customers in order to be able to provide them with the products and technology they need for their specific applications. After discussing First Cut’s business philosophy with the company’s Managing Director Andrew Poole, it was evident that Bystronic and First Cut share a synergistic approach to customer service. Within a short space of time we decided to cement our relationship and I took the opportunity to communicate our confidence in First Cut on personalised visits to our South African customer base,” says Burgener. “We are thrilled to be associated with Bystronic, which maintains as its slogan – ‘Bystronic: Best Choice’,” says Poole. “The company is renowned for its range of waterjet and laser cutting solutions and bending solutions. The Bystronic product range amplifies our current market offering, allowing us to expand our footprint while at the same time providing Bystronic’s existing customer base with the quality service levels that First Cut has become renowned for.” Burgener explains that in addition to its emphasis on nurturing its relationship with its customers, First Cut was the perfect partner of choice because of its industry experience and extensive national market coverage. “Unfortunately, we had been unable to reach our full potential in Southern Africa due to fact that previous agencies had been limited to a presence in Gauteng only. It is our intention to substantially increase our local customer base; and First Cut has an extensive national distribution and service network which will afford us the opportunity to break in to new geographical market areas.” Burgener is adamant that there is enormous potential for customers to increase their bottom line earnings by investing in the right cutting equipment for the intended application. “Together with First Cut, we offer our customers full access to a team of experienced and knowledgeable technical specialists who will customise integrated solutions to the customer’s exact needs. We have over the years outlined specific plans for customers to optimise their productivity and minimise downtime by selecting products that are geared towards fast turnaround without compromising on quality.” “Bystronic has an extensive range of laser and waterjet cutting solutions developed for a range of customers, from small job shops up to large engineering conglomerates. While the laser cutting equipment is already proving popular with a number of local customers, waterjet cutting technology has not been given the exposure it needs in the market. We have already implemented plans to increase customer awareness with regard to this value-added technology,” says Poole. Burgener points out that waterjet technology has been widely accepted in the global market since its introduction in the 1980s due to its versatility and cost-effectiveness. “Although we lost some ground during the recent global economic crisis, we will continue to promote the advantages of the product for a cost-conscious market in South Africa. “While laser cutting has a definite role to play in niche product manufacturing applications where repeatability is the issue, it is limited to cutting of steel to a thickness of 20 mm. The waterjet technology, on the other hand, is suitable for cutting wood, metal and stone to thicknesses of up to 200 mm, making it the perfect choice for job shops that require the flexibility supplied by multi-purpose equipment at a highly attractive price,” Burgener explains. “In addition to all their other benefits, the waterjet cutters generate no heat, thus ensuring extended life of components. If you consider that companies like Boeing rely on our waterjet cutting machines, it is easy to understand why we claim to be the best choice in cutting solutions,” adds Burgener. In preparation for its increased market infiltration of Bystronic cutting and bending products, First Cut has sent a number of its technical and sales team to Bystronic’s ByAcademy in Switzerland. “Full technical training is provided to our staff on the intricacies of each product, including optimal product preparation. They are also trained on Bystronic’s proprietary software package – Bysoft. Bysoft is optimally tuned to Bystronic machine systems and permits the optimum use of all aspects of the cutting and bending technologies,” says Poole. Burgener says that Bystronic has complete confidence that First Cut will be able to competently deal with any requests or queries from customers. “In addition to equipping First Cut with the necessary technical knowledge required to provide thorough customer service, we have an open door policy with all of our customers whereby they can contact Bystronic in Switzerland should they wish to direct any questions at our technical team. In all instances, we will work closely with First Cut to provide optimised productivity for our customers,” Burgener concludes.