The agricultural sector has experienced and is experiencing a phase of great transformation: we hear about Agriculture 4.0 with increasing awareness. Digital farming represents the future with smart components, advanced machines, software, on-board computers, automated sowing, and drones that control vast areas of territory.
In their own small way, even membrane switches for agricultural machinery have to catch up by offering innovative solutions in terms of functionality, finish, ergonomics, etc.
“These are requests that we verify every day thanks to our customers” underlines Alessandro Vignaga, MCS administrator and sales manager, «and in particular, to a customer who develops electronic components and systems for precision farming, from sowing to harvesting. For more than 15 years we have been supplying him with membrane switches for his customers’ agricultural machines».
The foundation of a long-lasting partnership
«Such a long-lasting commercial relationship» continues Alessandro Vignaga, “depended on the one hand on our ability to respond to the customer’s special demands right from the very first order. Answers to the need to have a professional, high-quality product from both a functional and aesthetic point of view. Added to this was our willingness to be a ‘problem solver’ ready to find ‘tailor-made’ solutions.”
“During an interview with the Purchasing Manager of this client company, the strengths that make us preferred over possible competitors emerged:
- responsiveness and promptness of response. The agricultural sector is characterized by seasonality, so in certain months our customer goes through peaks of production and sometimes has to give answers in 15-20 days. From this point of view, we have always been ready to respond in a timely manner, thanks to efficient order management and rapid delivery of goods. It may perhaps seem superfluous to mention that the latter is a critical success factor in any competitive industry;
- technological innovation, that is, the sensitivity to adhering to the demands coming from outside (and inside) to keep up with new market conditions, and sometimes anticipate them, to respond to customer demands in new and original ways in many aspects: the materials used, the production and finishing technologies.”
An example highlighted by our client
“On one occasion, a top player in the agricultural machinery industry asked our client for a display to use a panel that was scratch-resistant, anti-glare, and anti-UV: there were many requirements, making it complex to find a material that could meet them all. However, we did not lose heart.
By taking advantage of market knowledge of the materials we use for our products, we were able to find in the USA a particular plastic that owned all the properties we were looking for and which allowed the end customer to pass specific tests.
An achievement that rewarded our spirit of initiative, but most importantly, it allowed us to once again meet the needs of our client.”
“Knowing customer feedback is essential to improve and retain a relationship. In this case, it is difficult for the user of an agricultural machine to provide feedback on a single element such as the membrane switch for a display.
However, our customer assures us that he has not received any negative reports in this regard, so the developed membrane switches have meet to the specifications provided and are fully performing their job”.
Text edited by MCS Marketing Office