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Listening to Clients Ensures Reliability & Confidence

Joel Segura - Ascendum Maquinaria México
CST Director

STORY INLINE POST

Paloma Duran By Paloma Duran | Journalist and Industry Analyst - Tue, 05/25/2021 - 10:12

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Q: What role does Ascendum play in Mexico’s mining industry?

A: Ascendum is one of the world’s largest distributors of construction machinery. We have been operating for 60 years. We are of Portuguese origin with an international presence in 14 countries and three continents. The company primarily distributes brands such as Volvo Construction Equipment, SDLG and Sennebogen. Previously, we concentrated our efforts on certain types of construction machinery but in 2021 we began to expand our plans to include mining equipment such as vehicles from Volvo Trucks. In November, Volvo gave Ascendum the green light to start distributing its off highway rigid haulers in Mexico. This has allowed Ascendum to expand its presence in the mining industry.

 

Q: What has the company learned during its 60 years of experience and how has it become a competitive offer in the mining market?

A: We have learned to focus primarily on solving our client’s problems. This has become a part of our DNA and is reflected in our business plans. We are present in 14 countries and in each of these locations our clients have particular needs. Ascendum, therefore, is required to adapt to best assist our clients. We sit down with our clients and we listen to them so we can better solve whatever issues they may have.

 

Q: What are Ascendum’s Top 3 priorities for 2021?

A: Our main goal is to improve our customer service. This project is called Customer Service 2.0, and we are taking advantage of new technologies that will allow us to identify our clients’ problems more efficiently. Second, we will continue our integration with partners such as Volvo Trucks. These partnerships bolster our portfolio, allowing us to broaden our reach among potential clients. Third, we want to continue growing our geographical coverage, for which we already have a strategy. This will bring us closer to our clients, which will ultimately result in an even better service for our clients.

 

Q: What is the plan to increase Ascendum’s presence in Mexico?

A: We want to be no further than a three-hour drive from any of our clients’ branch offices or points of sale. We have collected enough information to identify key cities where we could set up our business. This could be either through an Ascendum branch or a partner representative. While no states have been eliminated, we are focusing on the center of the country. However, there are some isolated projects, such as the Mayan Train, which would require us to find another location closer to that construction.

 

 

Q: What difference does it make to be a distributor of Volvo Construction Equipment, SDLG and SENNEBOGEN?

A: Ascendum provides its clients with confidence. To this end, the company has looked for world-leading partners such a Volvo Construction Equipment, a world-class supplier of construction equipment known for its quality and low fuel and energy consumption. Having a partnership with leading companies gives our clients a better sense of reliability.

 

Q: Who is your main brand partner in the mining market?

A: Volvo Construction Equipment is our main partner for this sector. Ascendum has some of the best off-highway trucks in the industry, which will help clients reduce their per-hour operational costs. We have a reliable product that will bolster our clients’ productivity. Ascendum has a group of experts ready to assist our clients with the specific configurations they require in their mining projects. We also help them define the size of their fleet.

 

Q: Why should companies conduct productivity analysis using Volvo's CARETRACK?

A: CARETRACK is a monitoring tool on our Volvo machinery. It allows Ascendum to monitor handling as well as fuel consumption and machinery maintenance. Essentially, CARETRACK is an information-gathering tool, that sends information back to base where our team of experts constantly monitor our clients’ machinery. Ascendum then provides support to our clients based on that information, allowing them to improve their machinery’s life span even further. In the unfortunate case of an alert, the client is immediately notified. If the client requires it, Ascendum can dispatch a representative to assist with the problem.

 

Q: What types of maintenance contracts does Ascendum offer?

A: Ascendum offers four types of maintenance contracts, identified by color. The white contract consists of periodical visual inspections of the equipment. The blue option is the same but with additional programmed maintenance services. The silver contract consists of inspections, preventive maintenance and repairs under certain circumstances. The highest option is gold, which includes all of the above and covers all repairs. Today, Ascendum has over 300 machines in Mexico under at least one of our maintenance contracts, which demonstrates our clients’ trust in our services. 

 

Ascendum is a Portuguese company with more than 60 years of experience in the sale and after-sales service of heavy machinery for the construction, mining, forestry and recycling sectors, among others. The company is among the largest distributors of Volvo Construction Equipment, SDLG and SENNEBOGEN. It is present in 14 countries.

 

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