The advantage of being a Bosch Rexroth authorised repairer in the hydraulics sector

The key factor behind Tecno Fluid Service’s competitive advantage – that is, what sets it apart from its competitors – lies in its reputation: TFS is, in fact, perceived by its customers as a reputable company that can be trusted.

Reputation can be understood as a reserve of trust built up over time. What matters to a customer, when it comes to reputation, is understanding how a company has built up that trust over time.
The fact that TFS is a Bosch Rexroth dealer and repairer – Bosch Rexroth being a leading company in the hydraulics sector – and therefore owns and uses one of their test benches, enables TFS to be one of the few companies in Italy capable of offering customers services that can be certified for quality.

Quality is, once again, a broad concept that needs further clarification. A service (or a product) is considered to be of high quality when it is possible to certify certain aspects deemed to be of excellence, thereby making them objective. Consequently, the possession of a Bosch Rexroth test bench enables TFS to provide the customer with a detailed report on the operation of their component (which may be a pump, a motor, a valve, etc.), comparing the output data with that contained in the component’s original specification sheet.

Let us imagine, then, that we are sending a Bosch Rexroth A7VO Series 80 variable-displacement axial piston pump in for repair. In TFS, it is possible to compare the performance of this pump with the original specifications of a new product. This step is essential for determining the necessary repairs. Furthermore, an important aspect is that, by accessing the so-called ‘exploded view’, which is the bill of materials for all the product’s components, it is possible to obtain a detailed overview of the repair to be carried out, the parts to be replaced and, a factor not to be underestimated, the exact cost of the work that the customer will have to bear.

Thanks to its partnership with Bosch Rexroth, TFS is able to guarantee outstanding quality, as evidenced by the fact that repairs carried out ‘under warranty’ account for less than 3% of total repairs (the exact figure is 2.75%). These are repairs that are unsuccessful and must be repeated by TFS: in 2.75% of cases, TFS and the customer agree that any malfunction following the repair was caused by an incorrect repair carried out in the workshop. In the remaining cases (97.25%), TFS is able to demonstrate to the customer that the malfunction is due to external causes. The target set for 2020 is to reduce the error rate to below 1%.

Improving quality standards and achieving such a low error rate is only possible thanks to targeted staff turnover and training.

For some years now, TFS has experienced staff turnover due to retirements and employees who have decided to work elsewhere or set up their own businesses. At the same time, new recruits have provided TFS with skills better suited to market demands.

With staff turnover eliminated, TFS has invested in training. Staff from the testing and maintenance department take turns attending two training sessions a year at the Bosch Rexroth headquarters in Milan. This training enables them to expand their knowledge base and, above all, their skills to provide effective solutions to the various challenges faced by the vast hydraulics sector.

The partnership with Bosch Rexroth, low staff turnover and continuous training represent the main factors behind the company’s competitive advantage, to which a further advantage must be added—one that few companies in Italy can boast: the automated warehouse.

TFS has over 1,000 products in stock, and the warehouse is fully automated, thereby minimising human error during both the loading and retrieval of products. This significant investment, strongly championed by Angelo Pagano, the owner of TFS, delivers major benefits for customers.

Having products immediately available in stock enables TFS to respond to customer requests in a significantly shorter timeframe than its competitors. It should not be underestimated that, even though sales prices are in line with those of competitors, the ability to obtain a product quickly increases its perceived value.