During the annual "summer harvest", we could always see wheat harvesters operate in golden wheat fields aboard combines. Though the wheat harvest lasted 7 to 10 days only, to ensure the smoothness of the harvest and safeguard immediate interests of operators and farmers, a team went deep into towns and townships early to explain the knowledge of early engine maintenance for the harvest to users on a one-to-one basis; they provided follow-up services in fields throughout the harvest, appeared wherever they were needed by operators at the earliest possible time, took on the heavy duty of repairing equipment and ensuring the wheat harvest in support of agricultural machinery operators. The team is exactly Yuchai service team spread all over the country.

Yuchai's service system is part of its core competitiveness. Established in 1985, the system has become the most competitive and influential service system trusted by Yuchai's domestic partners and terminal users with the unremitting efforts of generations of Yuchai's service workers and the development of the market. Before the "summer harvest", reporters with Farm Machinery visited Yuchai's first-line service team, witnessed their hard work and interviewed several distributors and customers. Now let's take a close look at how the service workers of Yuchai Machinery Co., Ltd. served users at the early stage of the wheat harvest.

Service Team: Try Our Best

Yuchai always put service in an important strategic position. While consolidating its service advantage, it has taken effective measures to achieve a breakthrough in service level and keep its service system ahead in the industry, thus becoming a model in the diesel engine industry. In March 2013, the customer service center of Yuchai Sales Co., Ltd. worked out a summer harvest service plan, requiring local offices and service stations to establish service teams and squads, deploy workers rationally and assign responsibilities according to characteristics of regional product flow and services. In early May before the summer harvest, the company held a rally conference to implement the corporate service concept and discipline, thus boosting the morale and confidence of all service workers.

Yuchai Lianyungang Renjie Service Station: High Skills, Young Team

The first leg of the interview tour is Yuchai Lianyungang Renjie service station. Upon entry into the station, the reporter was attracted by the striking word on every service vehicle, reading "Yuchai 'summer harvest' service for farmers"

It has been 15 years since the station was established, which is n charge of maintaining Yuchai engines in Lianyungang. Having graduated from professional institutions of higher learning, all service workers have a good knowledge of maintenance. "High skills, young team" is the station's business concept.

The service workers of the station received a military training annually. General Manager Guo Xianjin said, "Our service workers are quite busy during the summer harvest, no time could be lost in the rush harvest, they must go whether at day or at night whenever they got calls from users, sometimes they could sleep about three hours only at night, the annual military training helps to improve their physical conditions and lay a solid foundation for summer harvest service.

Since March 2013, the station's messengers have collected users' information from the manufacturer and its distributors, sent service workers to inspect users' machines free of charge, explain the knowledge of machine maintenance, distribute maintenance pamphlets and address books of service teams, called users in 3 to 5 days after their return to ensure the normal operation of machines during the summer harvest.

There are a lot of cross-region operations in Lianyungang. Every user has an address book of service teams throughout the country. Wherever they have problems with their machines and called local service stations of Yuchai, these stations will act promptly without any delay.

Yuchai Heze technical service station: user orientation

Yuchai requires service stations to serve in strict accordance with the service rules. For example, service stations should implement the system of service first (service first regardless of responsibility), the system of responsibility for first inquiry (whoever accepts a case is responsible for handling it) and the system of responsibility for maintenance (whoever serves follows up the case), and should ensure the service hotline works all day long, service is provided in place in 12 hours and return visit is paid in three days.

The reporter felt strange at Yuchai Heze Technical Service Station: the station was normal in fittings room, control room and workshop management, the office was filled with silk banners of thanks from users, but service vehicles were nowhere to be seen. After an inquiry, he learned that all service vehicles had transported service workers to towns and townships to inspect users' machines free of charge, explain the knowledge of machine maintenance, distribute maintenance pamphlets and address books of service teams.

According to Wang Yongchang, head of Yuchai Heze Technical Service Station, to ensure every user knows how to maintain engines, the station's service workers have worked for more than a month. The probability of failure during the wheat harvest will decrease substantially if early services are in place. In case of any failure during the harvest, they will resolve it in the shortest possible time. Even it is not problems of engines sometimes, in order not to delay users' harvesting, the service workers will resolve problems to the best of their abilities, and will help to contact related manufacturers for solutions even if they cannot resolve them.

Over 300 combines in Heze need maintenance during the summer harvest. By mid-May, two thirds of these machines have been maintained, and all are expected to be maintained before users are prepared for cross-region operation.

To facilitate user service, the station set up small service points on only ways of users engaged in cross-region operation so that combine users who pass by can inquire about engine problems and have their problems resolved easily. The move was unanimously praised by users.

Users' voice

Machine users have the final say on machine quality and services. Thus, the reporter interviewed a couple of users. Let's listen to their voice.

A service worker is maintaining an engine in the scorching sun

"Judging by my years of experience in agricultural machinery, I trust Yuchai," said Ma Xingsuo, a mass production farmer.

As a famous mass production farmer in Donghai County, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, Ma grew 3,000 mu of wheat in 2013. Since beginning to use agricultural machinery in 1979, he has used machines of several brands over the three decades, has been quite familiar with agricultural machinery and may be rated as an expert at agricultural machinery.

Ma has five combines and four tractors at home, all powered by Yuchai engines. He said, "I have used a lot of machines and machinery brands, why did I finally change to Yuchai-powered machines? In the first place, Yuchai engines are of high quality without few problems during operation; in the second place, Yuchai provides good services and can immediately resolve any arising problem. Judging by my years of experience in agricultural machinery, I trust Yuchai."

When the service workers explained the knowledge of early maintenance service for the harvest at Ma's home, he said he had known the common sense of maintenance after over three decades of operation, but the workers insisted on inspecting his machines, explaining the knowledge of maintenance and giving them an address book of local service teams throughout the country so that he can have any arising problem resolved in time during cross-region operation.

"I expect much of Yuchai engines," Yuchai's new user Xin Yihua.

Xin Yihua in Mudan County, Heze City, Shandong Province purchased a Yuchai-powered combine in early 2013 upon recommendation by local users. The new machine has not worked in wheat fields.

Xin said, "Now all combines in the village are powered by Yuchai engines, everybody says Yuchai engines are of high quality with good services, so I decided to have a try. After I purchased the machine, the service workers of Yuchai Heze Service Team visited to inspect the engine, explaining notes of use and telling me how to resolve problems. This alone has made me expect much of Yuchai engines and believe they will let me down!"

"Yuchai's services deserve praise," said Yuchai's old user Huangpu Jizhong.

The machine of Huangpu Jizhong, a user in Dongming County, Heze City, Shandong Province, has operated for two years. He told the reporter, "Service workers will visit for engine maintenance before the annual wheat harvest, there have been no big problems with the engine over the past two years, as for some small ones, wherever I were in the country, as long as I called local Yuchai service stations, service workers will come immediately for maintenance, so I'm much comfortable with Yuchai engines."

Huangpu told the reporter that he would head to Anhui for cross-region operation with his son the next day. Due to the hot weather during the summer harvest, he installed an air-conditioner in the cab. When the reporter was curious about if the load of the air-conditioner engine is too heavy to affect harvesting, he reassured the reporter that there is absolutely no problem as he has tried.

Yuchai's service workers told Huangpu, even for machines whose warranty periods have expired, they will arrive as soon as possible likewise in case of any problem and charge little only.

A brief survey gives full knowledge. Despite a visit of only a few days, we have seen the manpower, materials and financial resources invested heavily by Yuchai in support of the "summer harvest" and its responsibility to users. By late May 2013, Yuchai's early maintenance service for the "summer harvest" had drawn to an end, but the upcoming harvest remains non-negligible, and Yuchai's service workers have been poised to win the battle of "summer harvest".

(Source: Wang Jiao/cnbuses.com)