In this brand new employee Q&A, sales manager Dan Fairest tells us a bit more about himself. Find out which shredder he thinks deserves recognition, and his hopes for UNTHA in the coming year…
Name: Dan Fairest
Job title: Sales manager
Summarise your role in one paragraph
As sales manager, my role is to help our customers – new and existing – to find the optimum shredding solution for their size reduction, waste processing or recycling needs.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
Undoubtedly it’s the total variety of the role – no two days are the same! As every companies’ requirements are different, and with such a large range of great machines to choose from, the possibilities are endless.
Which one word would your colleagues use to describe you?
Enthusiastic!
What does it take to be a great shredder partner?
Quite simply, two ears and one mouth! It may be a cliché, but at UNTHA we don’t simply sell a box off the shelf, but a tailored, solid solution. It is therefore very important that we are able to listen to our customers and gain a thorough understanding of their needs, before we can even consider putting a proposal forward. This applies whether the work is to provide a standalone machine or a comprehensive plant with an UNTHA shredder at the heart of it.
If one of your shredders could win an award, which would be most worthy?
I work for the recycling division of UNTHA, so for me it would have to be the four-shaft range of shredders, which were originally designed and patented by our chairman. They have been a major part of our product range for nearly 40 years, and are the most reliable and proven shredders on the market. From the everyday RS40 for small to medium sized projects, all the way up to the mighty RS100 and RS150 shredders for heavy duty WEEE and metals processing, amongst other applications. They are all robust, dependable and 100% guaranteed to get the job done.
The phone rings and it’s your dream client… who would it be?
An impossible question to answer because there are so many variables, but some of the basics that need to be in place are a company which is well financed, able to make a clear decision and understands their need for a shredder.
Describe your most satisfying shredder sale/installation to date (machine & application)
I have worked on a number of projects over the past five years, but the one which gave me most satisfaction, in relation to the equipment doing the job it was bought for, would be for a company involved in manufacturing a recycled product for the pet industry.
Prior to installing one of our shredders the client was continually having to shut down their manufacturing process, due to the inconsistency of their feedstock. This resulted in interrupted uptime of their plant. Once they installed our equipment at the front end of their production facility, they had a 100% operational record for the first time – ever! Now THAT is satisfying! We have since supplied them with a further two shredders, bringing their total up to three. That is absolute proof – if it was needed – that they are as happy with the outcome as we are
UNTHA has received particular praise for its customer support services in recent months – why are these so important for clients in the modern waste and recycling industry?
I would say it is perhaps the singular most important aspect of the sale. It is one thing to buy a shredder and own a machine that does the job it is meant for. However, the customer needs to also have complete assurance that over the lifetime of the machine they will have easy access to parts, service and maintenance engineers, as well as ongoing support, either over the phone, via remote diagnostics or with a visit from a passing engineer. Very often the shredder is at the core of a production line and if there is a problem it can affect the running of the whole operation. So, it is important to be able to react quickly and decisively.
It is my experience that all a customer asks for is communication and an indication of timescales. Without this lack of ongoing narrative, a client could easily become dissatisfied.
What are your hopes for UNTHA in the coming year?
To build on the success we have achieved over recent years and further expand our customer base. I also think we can look to continually improve our product offerings, not just with our machines but in terms of aftersales packages too, along with our increasing abilities to be able to offer turnkey solutions across a wide range of applications.
What is the biggest challenge facing the industry over the next 12 months?
Navigating the fallout from Brexit. At present, the yo-yoing of the exchange rate doesn’t give people the ability to be able to plan long term financial objectives. This applies particularly if they import or export commodities which may have been produced using a shredder as one element of their production process. There will be winners and losers either way.