Happy Returns

With Mercedes-Benz poised to become the nation’s market leader in energy-saving technology, Egypt After Sales Director Bernd Sulz talks about the conservation measures the luxury car maker is planning to roll out soon

By Noha Mohammed

  You’ve worked with many markets all over the world. How different do you find the Egyptian market? We always regard Egypt as a strategic market with great potential. ... I have worked in many markets, and every market is unique in its own way and requires adapting and approaching the business with what suits the market. Regardless of where I have been, customers’ expectations are the same which I believe is what Mercedes-Benz is known for: outstanding customer support. You arrived at a time of political upheaval when it might have been difficult to fairly judge the market situation. Now that there is a measure of stability, how are you finding the Egyptian market? Looking ahead, what do you see for Egypt’s future? The previous year (2013) was challenging for all the sectors in Egypt; the automotive sector was no exception. However, with the election of the new president we positively believe in the potential of the Egyptian economy to recover from its financial challenges. And, as you mentioned, currently there is a measure of stability which highlights healthy recovery of the automotive sector. In fact, Mercedes-Benz Egypt managed to increase sales of new vehicles by 3% year over year. The after sales business witnessed an increase in the spare parts turnover by 6%; our retail partners serviced over 22,000 customers in their workshops. Egypt is not a nation known for its after sales culture – how did you find customer mentality here when you arrived 18 or so months ago? With Mercedes being one of the few and arguably one of the strongest brands pioneering after sales in the country, how much do you feel Mercedes has helped to change customer mentality regarding the concept? In recent years, the after sales business grew to become one of the main pillars on which customers make their assessment when buying a new car. A well-equipped service center providing access to professional after sales services and spare part availability increases and protects the value of an automotive investment besides maintaining the car in its best shape. As an industry leader, we firmly believe in the importance of reliable and professional after sales services which explains our continuous expansion and development of our authorized dealership network. Last year we opened a GNA facility at Pyramid Heights, and this year we celebrated the opening of two new facilities: HNA in Hurghada to service the Red Sea area and the recently developed facility in Alamein. [This is] in addition to our portfolio of after sales products including extended warranty and prepaid service packages. Mercedes-Benz aims to increase its market share over the coming period through maintaining our staunch commitment to the highest levels of customer satisfaction. We also now have special vocational training via Mercedes-Benz Egypt Academy. The Advanced Diploma in Automotive Mechatronic (ADAM) is a program designed by Mercedes-Benz Egypt Academy to develop students’ personal/technical skills as well as improving their English language capability, teamwork ability, and providing students with a high-level technical understanding of current developments in the automotive service profession. [caption id="attachment_58103" align="alignright" width="363"] Amid complaints about engine breakdown due to allegedly adulterated petrol, Mercedes Egypt released this statement. Click here for the full text.[/caption] Tell us about your latest product launches and the new experiences customers can expect So far, 2014 has been a good year for Mercedes-Benz Egypt, a year marked by many successes and achievements thanks to the start of the delivery of the stunning new CLA, which received outstanding reservations exceeding a year ahead of production, and the new S400 Hybrid, marking the first hybrid luxury sedan introduction in Egypt and positioning Mercedes-Benz Egypt as the market leader in this technology. Also in 2014 we launched the New C-Class, the best-selling model from Mercedes-Benz. The new C-Class truly showcases the brand’s most cutting-edge innovations including the next-generation technology suite with touchpad interface, free-standing central display, more efficient drive train, Intelligent Drive safety and assistance technologies which define a new benchmark in this segment. The range of new-generation compact cars will be completed [with] the introduction of the new GLA, the first compact SUV from Mercedes-Benz which will attract new younger customers to the brand. Many global companies are dedicating time, research and funding to fine-tuning clean and energy-saving technology both to produce their cars and as a feature offering. Can you bring us up to speed on what Mercedes has been doing recently and which energy-saving features the vehicles now offer? The development of cleaner alternative fuels and advanced power systems has become the main priority for many car manufacturers. Mercedes-Benz already started introducing cars that rely on alternative sources of energy to the local market, namely the new S400 HYBRID, equipped with an advanced petrol engine with an electric boost which provides impressive power delivery with stunning fuel economy. In addition to the BlueEFFICIENCY technologies [is] the energy-saving technology for Mercedes-Benz gasoline cars, which ensures powerful yet efficient performance. BlueEFFICIENCY includes ECO start/stop function, operating virtually unnoticed by the driver, that could reduce fuel consumption within average of 15%, tires with optimized rolling resistance, ratio-optimized transmission, improved aerodynamics which greatly reduces drag, and high-precision injectors — all of which greatly reduces fuel consumption and boosts excellent economy and performance for our local market. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz is using a weight-reducing approach which will also improve efficiency. What safety features do the new models offer? Safety is always an issue on the busy roads of Egypt. Mercedes-Benz’s engineering expertise and strong commitment to innovation and ingenuity to help develop safe, sustainable and technologically advanced cars ensure [our] vehicles are equipped with intelligent driving systems and technologies; contributing to a safer driving experience for [passengers] as well as other drivers and pedestrians. Through its advanced assistance systems Dubbed Intelligent Drive, Mercedes-Benz offers numerous features enhancing both comfort and safety including Attention Assist, which can warn the driver of inattentiveness and drowsiness; Adaptive Brake Assist, which offers protection from collisions from speeds as low as 4 mph; and Collision Prevention Assist Plus, which enables the car to carry out autonomous braking at speeds of up to 124 mph. The innovative safety systems featured in the new S-Class are unprecedented; including the Distronic Plus with Steer Assist and Stop & Go Pilot, which help the driver to stay in lane and the car to drive itself in a traffic jam with minimal intervention; the Brake Assist system Bas Plus with Cross-Traffic Assist, which is able to detect crossing traffic and pedestrians too, and to boost the braking power applied by the driver accordingly; and Adaptive High beam Assist Plus for added road visibility. Does Mercedes participate in or sponsor road safety campaigns to educate customers about the importance of safety features in their cars? Earlier this year Mercedes-Benz Egypt hosted an exclusive three-day safety driving event to raise awareness of road safety issues to key stakeholders including VIP customers, diplomats, fleet customers, members of the media and the Mercedes-Benz team members. The fully interactive event is the first of its kind to be hosted at the Egyptian Road Safety Training Center in Cairo. Beginning with presentations by German professional driving instructors on the importance of road safety for drivers, passengers and pedestrians, special insights were given about the unrivaled safety advances of the Mercedes-Benz models featured during the driving event, namely the A-class, B-class, C-class, CLA-class, GLK, E-class and S class. On the course, professional driving instructors took the guests for test drives on several training module tracks to demonstrate safe driving techniques and innovations related to safe braking, including exclusive pre-safe brake feature with active pedestrian protection, rear-end collision warning and anticipatory safety system, as well as speed limit and traffic sign assist. The Mercedes-Benz safety driving event is just the latest in a long line of initiatives that Mercedes-Benz has undertaken to raise awareness of the importance of road safety. Other than stopping in at your centers for regular servicing, how else do you recommend customers maintain their vehicles in good shape? The most important advice I can give to any driver is to make sure to read the owner’s manual, which is received upon vehicle delivery, in order to be fully aware of the best ways to use and maintain your car according to its technical requirements. By doing so, you’ll enjoy the best performance with reduced maintenance costs. Also in order to ensure that your car is running as smoothly as it should, always use genuine spare parts which last longer and offer unrivalled reliability and warranty. Clean oil keeps your engine delivering optimum performance so make sure you only use genuine oil filters. The benefits of a timely and professional maintenance shouldn’t be underestimated. A professionally serviced car is more efficient, safer and simply lives longer. Unperformed or poorly performed maintenance will expose you to inherent dangers and expensive repairs in the long run. When it comes to after sales and training here in Egypt, are there any training programs that are specifically customized for local employees, or do you implement a global Mercedes program? How has your experience heading up teams in other countries helped you here? The key to offering the best after sales services is a professionally trained work force, and we believe that the most valuable asset for any company is its workforce. That is why we consistently embark on organizing training sessions as well as workshops for our employees to introduce them to the latest repair services. We also Train the Trainer, with a program adapted to the local market and C-Management for Sales and After Sales. In addition, we encourage local competitions with the target to participate in the Global TechMasters competition in Germany. We also started the first program in the Mercedes-Benz Academy. This Academy is a vocational training center for young people to be educated as mechatronics. We initiated this project in cooperation with Global Project Partners, the German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the International Training Consulting Department of Daimler. It was realized within the framework of the Transformation Partnership program, financed by the German Foreign Ministry for the development of automotive technicians in Egypt. We are very confident that this initiative is a good investment in the future of these young people. These well-qualified technicians soon will be able to further increase our customer’s satisfaction. And I have to say working in different markets is definitely an experience on its own. As it makes you both professionally and personally more flexible and adaptable. And makes it easier to realize what the market needs. et