People & Life Archivi - Sampierana UC Spare Parts

Monica’s voice tells the world of Sampierana spare parts across borders

Posted on 12 June 2024 | by dellamonicasara

We meet her through the PC screen, remotely, to interview her about her journey and find out if, beyond the Italian borders, the aftermarket follows different dynamics.

Partiamo da principio. L’ingresso in Sampierana.

I joined Sampierana in 2022. My last work experience dates back to April 2022, but for family reasons at a certain point I distanced myself from the job market. When I arrived here in Modena I knew nothing about the world of spare parts. I had experience in the metalworking sector, but not in the earthmoving spare parts sector.
Thanks to the patience of my colleagues, after almost two years, I have learnt so much. It was, I can safely say, the hardest training period of my life.

When you started what was assigned to you?

At the beginning I was active on all foreign markets (quotes, sales). After a few months, the areas were divided and I was assigned certain areas (Eastern Europe, Germany).

You spoke of a “hard” insertion. Are you referring to learning about the aftermarket?

Yes. I was used to working for manufacturing companies, both single-brand and multi-brand, but there was mainly one product. Here too the product is basically one, but divided into different types with different characteristics and dynamics.
Not being in the industry, it was difficult to catch up to serve customers.

What was your first impact with the markets you follow? .

Yes. I was used to working for manufacturing companies, both single-brand and multi-brand, but there was mainly one product. Here too the product is basically one, but divided into different types with different characteristics and dynamics.

The first customer you were assigned?

If memory serves, I think it was a Greek customer. After the zoning, Greece became one of my countries. Among other things, the Greek one is often underestimated, while it remains one of the largest markets where construction is taking place.

Do you remember an episode or an encounter with a client that marked you?

In January I had the opportunity to visit customers in person and having the person in front of you in the flesh is a very different perception. The customer has much more empathy for you on these occasions.
A nice reminder was an email from a Greek customer who thanked us for our availability and work, pointing out that our work pushes us to always be in a hurry and finding the time to look into personal matters is really something precious.
These are seemingly banal words, but in reality this is the other side of our work. And it is just as important.

How do you go about your working day?

My working day takes place with follow up work on the quotes sent to customers. If this part isn’t there, we start to consider some new trips we can take. The active job is mail-quote-order. Otherwise the focus is on follow up work.

Does this part of the job include finding new customers?

Yes, absolutely. Via email and virtually it is always difficult. This is why we are trying to identify areas where we can find new customers. Some territories are already largely beaten. For example, Germany is very focused on customer loyalty, so it is not easy to market yourself. Ours seems like a big market, but in the end it is a very small one

What is the most difficult part of commercial work in the spare parts industry?

Be competitive on price. The spare part, even when it is the best, tends to be the material you save the most on. The hardest thing to understand how far you can go in bargaining is price in my opinion.
If a customer is looking for a specific branded excavator he has a clear price range and also a specific supplier most of the time, while I can sell him the spare part as well as another salesman. We still supply top class parts thanks to Berco, but some customers are not necessarily looking for this brand.

Do your customers prefer the Berco or Sampierana line?

Actually, a lot depends on the countries. Germany focuses more on Berco, other countries focus on Sampierana precisely because of the price factor. A lot also depends on the speed of supply. At this moment in time this is really the sore point for our market.

Were you able at Sampierana to put to use skills you had accumulated over the years?

Everything I have done so far has served me. I realised that all the work I have done so far has served to lead me to compose this painting.

What is your favourite aspect of Sampierana? .

Certainly on a professional level in the relationship with colleagues I got along very well.
I also get on very well with the sales manager. These are not obvious factors. The fact that we are a medium-sized company, even though we are now part of an international group, and the fact that we have the possibility of smart working are really essential for the present and the future.
For me it was a great surplus to enter the CNH world. I am very grateful for that and I am very happy here too.

Kevin’s story: Sampierana U/C Spare Parts discovering the Middle East

Posted on 22 May 2024 | by dellamonicasara

How did your journey at Sampierana U/C Spare Parts begin?

My journey began in December 2022 here in Modena. In fact, almost all my working life has been in the construction and earthmoving machinery sector. The one at Sampierana U/C Spare Parts is my first experience in the spare parts sector.

When did your journey in this field begin?

I took a 3-year break from the industry. After university the first 12 years I worked for Caterpillar, and lived in different countries, in 2011 I moved to Milan, spent 5 years there. I met my Italian wife and then we moved to Dubai.

In 2016 we moved to Dubai and in 2018 our baby girl arrived. At that point, we decided to move closer to home. I left CAT and found another job in Milan in a different sector because I preferred, at that time in my life, to put the family first and I worked outside the sector for three years.

Although the motivation and interest to get involved in the industry again was there. Thanks to a meeting with a head hunter, I became aware of a job opportunity at Sampierana U/C Spare Parts to manage sales negotiations with the Middle East and Africa.

That part outside Europe I knew very well from my experience in Dubai and this advantage helped me.

What are the biggest difficulties between the world of excavators and spare parts?

They are two quite different worlds. For machines, customers generally like Komatsu, CAT, Case. They already know what they want. For parts, it’s different: there is a lot more competition. Value for money is essential and in many cases there is little reliability with the customer, because initially the customer immediately looks for the lowest price. Perhaps my difficulty, as a salesman, was precisely this: to realise that for machines the customer already knows what he wants. For spare parts, on the other hand, the approach is quite different.

For Sampierana U/C Spare Parts, is the Italian market easier to handle than the Middle East and Africa?

This is more about our brand. For us at Sampierana U/C Spare Parts it is easier to manage this market because we are physically present here. However, abroad remains important to us and a market that we continue to explore. My last trips were to South Africa, Morocco and I am already in contact with customers in the Middle East. Unfortunately, it is not so easy for us sales people, if in Italy you can visit several customers in several days, with longer distances it is different.

Did you immediately start working on the Middle East?

Ho studiato ingegneria spaziale in Inghilterra e subito dopo ho iniziato a lavorare nel team Sales&Marketing. Posso dire di aver cambiato completamente strada, ma non bisogna avere paura. Non si può pianificare ogni passo della vita.

The first focus was that, mainly Saudi Arabia. Then I started to expand the radius to South Africa last year and we discovered some interesting new potential customers.

No, absolutely. The whole export team is aligned to the dynamics of market expansion, so that was an advantage.

Were you glad to get back to the Middle East through your work at Sampierana U/C Spare Parts?

Yes, because meeting African and Middle Eastern cultures gives you a different perspective on travelling to new places and getting to know them better. Saudi Arabia has changed dramatically in recent years. In 2016 the process to get a visa was very expensive, today already there are many changes also related to women’s culture.

When I went last year there was a lot more openness and for our industry that means a lot.

How do you manage in your day-to-day work?

I make the most of the possibility to work from home. I must say that the hybrid mode has been an excellent opportunity to balance private life and work.

Did you concentrate on business studies at university?

I actually studied space engineering in England and immediately afterwards started working in the Sales&Marketing Team. I can say that I changed my path completely, but there is no need to be afraid. You can’t plan every step of life.

In the world of spare parts for more than ten years: Paolo’s voice

Posted on 3 May 2024 | by dellamonicasara

On a rainy day in April, after a few minutes’ delay, the door to the meeting room opens. Paolo, from the Sales Team of Sampierana U/C Spare Parts, has kept our appointment and joins us smiling to tell us about his experience in the world of spare parts.

How long have you been working in Sampierana?

I joined Sampierana on 20 November 2006, in November it will be eighteen years. I started in the warehouse and then moved to the Sales team at Sampierana U/C Spare Parts. And I’m still here!

How come this change?

In the spare parts department there used to be Mauro, my manager, and another colleague. After the resignation of this colleague, as was often the case at Sampierana, good internal figures were identified and they were offered a role advancement, especially if they showed competence in a given area.

Was the transition easy or did you have difficulties?

I think it is more correct to say that the transition was traumatic. Mauro, who supported me both before and after the role change, was often busy, since the spare parts team consisted of me and him, so only two people. At the beginning it was hard for me, there was a lot of work and several times I also found myself training alone, taking notes and carving out time even at home to get to know the products, the characteristics well.
It wasn’t an easy time, especially because at that time you often had to be ready for multiple tasks and often found yourself overworked. Then over time, today even more so, the situation has improved and everyone is more focused on their own role.

When the others from the Sampierana U/C Spare Parts team arrived, it was you who trained them, right?

Yes I was in charge of their training. If I think back to my early days, I remember the crises, the desire to give up and instead resist, to give confidence to the company as well, it gave me the opportunity to learn more and more and then to teach it to the rest of the team that arrived.

What do you value most about your work?

Helping the customer and being able to have a solution in hand for him or her. I specifically deal with the Italian market and the purchase of one spare part in particular, rubber tracks.

The U/C Spare Parts team is mostly based in Modena, but both you and other people are operational in San Piero. Has the physical distance with the rest of the team proved to be a problem in your day-to-day work?

No it was actually an opportunity to go to Modena often, to confront each other when needed.

Incontro Meeting Sampierana U/C Spare Parts

After sixteen years in Sampierana, a question is in order: what kept you here?

I really enjoy my job and I am very lucky because I get on well with those I work with. Since I arrived I have a great relationship with everyone even outside the office, we even challenge each other on the football pitch. So I can really consider myself lucky.
Doing this job I became patient, a quality that did not belong to me. Being in contact with customers, however, requires patience and I must admit that the job has made me grow a lot in this respect.

The voices of Sampierana U/C Spare Parts: interview with Gaia Assistant Logistic Department

Posted on 10 April 2024 | by dellamonicasara

The offices on the ground floor of Sampierana are a corridor of glass windows hiding faces and voices in activity from early morning. Behind one of those doors is Gaia, who greets us with a smile and a desk full of personal and work memories.

When did your journey at Sampierana U/C Spare Parts begin?

I joined the company in November 2022, as an Assistant Logistic Department. My work location is here in San Piero, but the activity I carry out requires daily and constant contact with the Modena office.

How did you get to Sampierana? .

Immediately after the completion of university exams in Venice. While writing my master’s thesis, I returned to San Piero and, in the meantime, started looking for work in the area. I sent my curriculum vitae to Sampierana and, at that very moment, the girl who was filling my position was leaving. So a door opened for me here, even though I did not study logistics.

What is your field of study?

I graduated in Oriental Studies and studied Chinese Language. I make more use of English in the company.

How has your course of study helped you in your current job ?

It was important to help me stimulate the ability to adapt, to be curious and to put oneself out there. I learnt to accept what comes and see the good in what you are presented with. A detail that counts a lot in everyday work.

Did the predominantly male context of the metalworking industry create discomforts or problems for you?

No, actually not so much. Sampierana is a familiar environment and this aspect helped me to always feel at ease, I made friends with everyone and so I didn’t feel any differences. I felt at ease. Mine, then, was not a purely technical role and perhaps these differences are more noticeable in another role.

Could you tell us a few more details about how you do your job?

I manage the Logistics of Spare Parts located in the warehouse at the Modena site.
The sales manager of Sampierana U/C Spare Parts confirms the customer’s orders and organises the shipment. At this point, when the orders are ready, I communicate this to the customer. I try to work out whether the collection will be organised independently or whether we will organise it ourselves and, based on the feedback, I arrange transport with the couriers, evaluating the best offers.

What aspects of your work do you enjoy and inspire you?

Above all, communication, both with the customer and with colleagues. Being able to interact with the various parties, on the one hand supporting the customer, on the other hand finding support from colleagues inside and outside the warehouse, has an important impact on daily work.
It is the aspect I love most about this job.

You told us in advance that you are originally from San Piero in Bagno, where the Sampierana headquarters and your work are located. How do you experience being part of a local company?

At this particular time in my life it means a lot to me because when I am asked what I would like to do when I grow up, at the moment, I find it difficult to answer. Being here with my family, where there are my friends the old ones and the new ones, having at the same time my independence, helps me to build myself up day by day and take my time to continue doing it.

What would you recommend to someone who wants to get involved in logistics?

The first piece of advice is to be organised. The second, no less important, to ask, ask a lot and without fear. I was a bit shy in the beginning and hesitated to ask questions; instead, it is one of the first things to do, especially in such a familiar environment where everyone is willing to offer you support.