Ready When You Need Us Most
Ira Busman 10.04.2017
In Okuma’s early years, under the leadership of founder Eiichi Okuma, a very important aspect of the company’s culture was put in place. Whenever Japan experienced a natural disaster, such as a tsunami, Mr. Okuma halted production at the factory and sent the workers out to help customers get their shops up and running again. This attitude of willingness to get in the trenches with customers and support them when they need it most continues to this day. It was put into action once again when Hurricane Harvey inundated the greater Houston area with catastrophic flooding. This time it was a partnership between Houston distributor Hartwig and Okuma that sprang into action when disaster struck.
Setting Up a Triage Team
While Harvey’s rains pounded Houston, Gary and Geoff Hartwig (Hartwig’s Chairman and President, respectively) made a call to Jim King, President & COO of Okuma America Corporation. Immediately they decided that Hartwig and Okuma would work together to go out and help customers once the flood waters receded. The first steps involved setting up a “triage team” and then reaching out to determine who might need help. Social media posts went up right away, and messages were distributed informing customers how to get help.
Get in There Right Away
Okuma’s market research team put together a list of customers in the Houston market, including the machines they had in their shops. Hartwig mapped this list and determined what parts were available in inventory, both locally and nationwide. Preparations were made to get customers up and running as soon as possible, with local Hartwig resources as the first line of support. Okuma was poised to send resources to Houston as needed, and immediately. Gary recalls the sense of urgency shared by everyone on the Hartwig team, “We've been in floods before, where machines were under two feet of water. We’ve been able to get them up and running without too much trouble - if we can get in there right away.”
Ready with Local Assets
Some Houston-based Hartwig staffers experienced flooding in their own homes, and those who didn’t were out assisting with rescue and evacuation efforts. When everyone attempted to get back to business following the worst of the storm, Hartwig’s first step was outreach – calling each Okuma owner to find out how they were doing. First and foremost, the callers inquired about employees and their homes, to make sure everyone was alright. It was an emotional time, and these were like calls to family – in fact they were, to our Okuma family. Then, they’d find out how the business had fared, and ask if they had any needs for support with their machine tools. The good news they could share was that Hartwig and Okuma were on the ground and ready with local assets in their own backyard.
To Us, It’s Personal
We truly hope a disaster of this magnitude never happens again. But the reality is, we all need to be prepared for the unexpected. Okuma and our distributors…we’ve built our companies in such a way that, with 45 locations throughout North and South America, we can be there when you need us. We’re always ready to help, because to us, it’s personal.
Ira Busman is Vice President of Customer Service, Okuma America Corporation.
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