At PJM, we recognise the wisdom of the old saying that “stagnation is the first step towards declining”. That is why we have decided to conduct a complete overhaul of our service department, and under the supervision of Service Business Unit Manager, Carsten Suhr, we have assembled a team of dedicated and experienced employees eager to bring their passion for service to our customers.
Assembling the right team for the task
Carsten Suhr joined us in 2024, and earlier this year he was joined by Service Account Manager, Jan Flemming Hansen, and others as our department keeps growing and evolving. Neither Carsten nor Jan is a novice, as both have extensive experience, not only from working in the service department but from building it from the ground up. We are very excited to introduce them and our new vision of service.
Even though our new vision of service includes a variety of new initiatives, divided into several steps and milestones, the bottom line is clear: “It’s really quite simple,” Carsten explains, “we just want to help all our customers in the best way possible. We want to integrate the service department more firmly in PJM, so our customers will consider our service as a natural part of what we do.”
Jan elaborates: “We want our customers to think of PJM as their total solution partner throughout the lifetime of the machines and even beyond. Service is not an add-on; it’s integral, and we want our customers to consider our service as insurance. Just imagine how much money is at stake with unforeseen downtime; a reliable service partner is easily money well spent.”.
Video: Jan Flemming Hansen and Thomas Petersen are doing remote troubleshooting.
What we learned from COVID-19 and beyond
When COVID-19 struck in 2020, we were forced to rethink our entire approach to service and maintenance. Planes were grounded, borders were closed, and we were unable to maintain a consistent level of service without rethinking our entire approach - click here to read more about what we did. But necessity is the mother of invention, and five years on, we are stronger than ever.
“COVID brought along several realizations,” Carsten explains. “First and foremost, we realised that being physically present wasn’t as important as it used to be.” Jan agrees: “Diagnosing the problem is really what it’s all about, and to a large extent, you can do that from afar. Remote Service and Augmented Reality (AR) already play a vital part, and the role of these new technological achievements will only continue to grow within the service department in the years to come.”
Carsten adds: “Even today, many of our customers ask for this type of support, especially with regard to electronics and software. If a screw breaks, they are usually more than capable of replacing it themselves, but troubleshooting in the electronics and software department is sought after more and more. So is hyper care in the time implementation, which is another thing that we are currently working on.”
He sums up: “The ambition is to establish a 24/7 online hotline for remote support and troubleshooting based in Denmark, a warehouse filled with spare parts ready for shipping, and a team of technicians working globally in the field. That’s the dream.”
From preventing to predicting
AI has affected almost every aspect of human interaction, and PJM is no exception. As an example, we are currently working on building a global database of every machine ever sold by us, to monitor and maintain them in the most effective way possible. We want to extend our service not only to new customers but to existing customers as well.
“In the long term, this means evolving from what we call preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance,” Carsten explains. “In the near future, we will be able to predict the necessary maintenance, order spare parts in advance, and solve the problems even before they occur.”
This type of automation is potentially a real game changer that you could argue gives a whole new meaning to our motto: Automation of Great Ideas.
Sales and service
Another key component in our new service strategy is to think about sales and service as two sides of the same coin. Jan explains: “All our technicians receive basic sales training. We want to elevate our staff from being technicians to trusted advisers. When you’re working with us, trust is crucial, and we want to assure our customers that whatever advice they receive is in their best interest. That’s why we want them to deal with experts who have extensive technological knowledge. That’s all part of our vision of service.”
As Service Account Manager, Jan is charged with building relationships with new and existing customers, getting to know them and their needs. That takes time, and he is aware of that. “It’s a question of honesty,” Jan underlines. “I don’t want to make promises, I can’t keep. We are building our service department according to the needs of our customers, making sure that our customers understand the full extent of our capabilities, just as we have to learn the full extent of their needs. We are building it together.”
If you want to learn more about our Service Department and how we can help you succeed in your work, contact our Service Business Unit Manager, Carsten Suhr, on +45 2028 1761 or through e-mail: cas@pjm.dk.
