The customer - at the heart of the business

The true nature of the company lies beyond these facts and figures. A product or service can be copied; they do not make a company unique. We need to dig into deeper layers.

Supply chains within the business areas vary in their design, due to their diverse businesses and there is a considerable difference in the number of customers and order lines. The company's ambition to set industry standards based on a profound understanding of customer demands is the backbone of the Sandvik value chain – from R&D and raw material supply to delivery and aftermarket services.

Unique competence part of the offering

With more than 150 years in business, Sandvik is also well known for its competence in metallurgy and machining. Sandvik PhDs are adjunct professors at several universities. However, this unique competence has not been offered as a separate service, it has been an integrated part of the product offering.

Jonas Rosén, Manager, Stainless Service at Sandvik Materials Technology, works with a dedicated team of 15 colleagues to change this way of working for stainless steel. In addition, there is a service organization that focuses on furnace solutions, headed by Jakub Sartowski. "Some customers won't buy the service, but others will buy more than we would normally include."

Jason Purcell, Global Services Manager at Sandvik Coromant agrees. "Our services are really growing in importance. We aim at helping our customers to cut costs as well as increase productivity, and by presenting a strong service offering we can give our customers added value."

Improved safety and productivity

Within Sandvik's areas of mining and construction there is an increased demand for services that can help customers work more safely and productively. Bringing innovative technology into the mines opens up opportunities for a number of new services. AutoMine® is just one example that enables drill rig operators to supervise the work from a control room several kilometers away, instead of being in the mine.

"Maintenance, testing and problem-solving are some of the services that our customers ask for," says Henrik Paues, Product Management at Sandvik . "The initial investment of our equipment might be higher than others, but it is the total cost of ownership that is important. Our crushers can be out there for 20 years, making money for the customer." Sandvik continues to utilize all its expertise, close customer relationships and experience to serve customers in the best possible way.