Intermat 2018 saw Case Construction Equipment extend its customer engagement beyond the exhibition stand to its customer centre in Paris. Located in Monthyon, nearly one hour away from Paris, the Case Customer Centre allows visitors to test drive Case’s latest models in real job site working conditions with the support of expert operators.
Apart from the excitement of operating a range of equipment such as excavators, wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, dozers, graders, and skid steer loaders without a license, the experience is intended to give visitors a personalised tour of Case’s entire offering and face-to-face interactions with product specialists.
We spoke to Franco Invernizzi, senior business director, CNH Industrial Construction equipment for Africa and Middle East, about the company’s hands-on approach to customer engagement and its product development strategy for the Middle East markets.
“Customers discover our latest products and innovations through presentations and demonstrations; then they ask questions and discuss their needs with our product specialists. But nothing compares to experiencing first-hand the easy operation and performance of our machines. That’s why we create as many opportunities as possible for our customers to test drive our equipment in real working conditions through local events and by organising visits to the customer centre in Paris, regularly,” says Invernizzi.
Franco Invernizzi, senior business director, CNH Industrial Construction equipment for Africa and Middle East
Case Construction Equipment also organises customer events such as the ‘Eagle Days’ event in the Middle East. The recent edition of Eagle Days Middle East held in Dubai in April attracted several dealers from the MEA region.
“These formats of product demonstrations have proved extremely popular as they offers a full Case experience. When we put a wide range of Case machines at the disposal of our guests and allow them to test and review the machines themselves, it builds their confidence in our brand,” says Invernizzi.
At the expo, Case showcased its full product offering for the road building, urban construction, recycling and quarry segments. The major of the majority of the models displayed on the Case stand were launched in the last 12 months. They included the CX750D crawler excavator, the largest and most powerful machine in the Case range; C-Series mini excavators with an entirely new design introduced last year; and skid steer and compact track loaders that were upgraded last year.
“Case is one of the few true full liners in the industry, and this enables the company to provide a 360° solution for its customers’ business needs. We are constantly investing in developing, upgrading, renewing and extending our extensive product offering. Furthermore, being part of a group such as CNH Industrial means that we benefit from its considerable resources, from the highly efficient logistics to the industrial excellence and state-of-the-art R&D centres. This includes know-how that our sister company FPT Industrial has developed in engine technologies,” says Invernizzi.
Invernizzi indicates that Case machines will continue to use FPT, Isuzu and ISM brands of engines.
“Presently, we are not envisaging a change in our engine plans, but we are constantly reviewing our options in order to offer value and performance to our customers. Should the situation change because of new regulations, innovations, or specific emerging customer needs, we will evaluate the best way to go, and of course in this assessment we will include leveraging the great asset that FPT Industrial is for Case,” he says.
Invernizzi explains how the manufacturer is addressing the main concerns of Middle East customers, such as total cost of ownership, maintenance and performance.
“There are three main drivers in our product development strategy: machine uptime to guarantee customer productivity; ease of use so operators can learn the skills to operate at their best quickly; and efficiency to guarantee low total cost of ownership,” says Invernizzi.
“In each region we have a full offering of products that match the specific requirements of our customers in these markets. For example, we recently launched a new 570ST backhoe loader model which has been specifically designed and engineered to match the requirements of customers in the region who look for a reliable and performing machine, and a fast return on their investment. With this new model, our backhoe loader range offers technically advanced solutions that cover all business needs, from big municipalities to one-man-band customers,” he adds.
Invernizzi also points out that the Middle East’s extreme conditions is a major factor in product development.
“The products in the Case offering for the Middle East have features that make them perfect for conditions in these markets. An example is the Case cooling cube system in the F-Series wheel loaders. Its unique design with five radiators mounted to form a cube instead of overlapping ensures a constant flow of fresh and clean air from the sides and the top, maintaining constant fluid temperatures. This makes it efficient when the machine is operating in hot and dusty conditions. The cube structure also makes it easy to clean and service, adding to its efficiency and life cycle,” he says.
Case is also celebrating 60 years of wheel loader production in 2018, which started with the W9, the first Case integrated four-wheel drive wheel loader introduced in 1958. Case’s latest G-Series wheel loader range has a bucket payload ranging from 3.9 to 10.2 tonnes and bucket volume from 1.9 to 5.5 m3.
“The G-Series is ready to be launched in Africa and the Middle East. However, currently the F-Series is a better fit for our customers’ requirements in these markets, especially in terms of serviceability and robustness, so for now we will continue to offer this range. When the market requirements in the region will match the characteristics of the G-Series, we will be ready to introduce it in these markets alongside the F-Series,” says Invernizzi.
