According to Autoline, most suppliers have a surface level understanding of the client’s needs. But Autoline dig deeper to establish a relationship of collaboration.
Supplier engagement is crucial in any industry, but it’s especially important when it comes to mining.
The geographical element alone means that most mine-sites are often hundreds of kilometres away from their nearest supplier. This makes strong communication and collaboration essential.
“A disengaged supplier can cause serious issues for your business, not to mention your personal well-being,” Autoline marketing coordinator Jaxon Cawthorne said.
“Everybody has a story of a supplier who seemed to create headaches with each interaction.”
Autoline understands this, and that’s why engagement and collaboration are core pillars of the business.
Catching a plane and driving out to site is the only way to truly understand the day-to-day operations of a mine site.
Not only is each client unique, but a client could operate at five different mine sites around the country, and those five sites are completely unique once more.
So how do you know what works on different sites?
Autoline believes the only acceptable answer is to walk around on the same dirt your client does.
Checking out the light vehicle workshop is one thing, venturing underground is a whole different kettle of fish.
Recently, two Autoline employees got the opportunity to go underground in the Goldfields.
Autoline supplies parts for light vehicles, especially light vehicles used in underground operations.
What goes on underground is often shrouded in darkness.
Not for any negative reason, but it’s just something that people typically don’t understand unless they’re working underground themselves, or directly on equipment that is used underground.
While the underground excursion was a small snippet of a weeklong run of site visits across the Goldfields, the experience had a lasting impact on the Autoline team.
“We just couldn’t turn down the opportunity to hop in the Landcruiser and drive through the portal,” Cawthorne said. “It’s like a completely different world underground and seeing it with my own eyes helped me understand our clients day-to-day so much better.”
Understanding the unique challenges of each client continues to fuel Autoline’s research and development – leading to constant improvement of its parts and service.
It’s clear that many businesses are sick of the one size fits all approach, instead crying out for a supplier that can adapt to meet their specific needs.
To find out more, visit the Autoline website.
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