Volume 4, Number 2
September 1996
As the Carrier 2000/CTD Change Team progresses in its exploration of CTD's major business processes, employees in each of our business units are participating in the Team's information-gathering activities. Ultimately, the Team will complete a thorough assessment of our operations and develop a plan for organizational change based on how our employees, customers and suppliers think we can most effectively do business. Randy Hogan and his Leadership Team are actively involved in the Carrier 2000 process. In this issue of The Globe, Richard Laubenstein, vice president of Container Products, presents his hopes and goals for this effort.
Our customers in the Container Group are constantly pushing us to prove that we deserve the commanding market share that we've maintained over the past years. They keep raising their expectations of us, and that's the way it should be. Our competitors aren't standing still - in fact, they're getting more and more aggressive in trying to win customers away from Carrier Transicold.
I see Carrier 2000 as a top priority, and an effective means to help Carrier Transicold distinguish itself as the best supplier that our customers can have, and as the best company where our employees can work. It will help us to answer the question: what will make us different and better? It's all about differentiation, making changes that result in valuable differences.
For the Container organization, I have four goals for Carrier 2000:
To differentiate ourselves from our competition in the eyes of our customers.
To establish a path for us to be a truly world-class company in all aspects of our operations.
To have all of the people who participated in the process - employees, customers and suppliers - look back and feel good about it. We should all have a sense of fulfillment.
To springboard our findings to all of Carrier so the entire corporation can benefit.
In order to achieve these goals, I believe certain things have to happen with Carrier 2000. It's my hope that the Change Team won't feel restricted at all by the way we currently do things, that it will feel free to openly explore entirely new approaches with our people, customers and suppliers. Once the Change Team compiles its findings, it will be necessary for our Leadership Team to examine those findings objectively, not allowing any preconceived notions or biases to inhibit us from recognizing the information's value.
As an organization, we should recognize that, while there is always resistance to change, we must have the courage and energy to implement the Change Team's findings. That courage and energy will be the by-products of understanding why we should change, which makes it essential that we do a good job of examining and communicating the Change Team's findings and recommendations. Once we have agreement on what needs to change in order to reach our Year 2000 goals, we have to implement those changes quickly and forcefully.
The commitment from John Lord and Randy Hogan is there to support Carrier 2000 to the fullest, and they are enthusiastically inviting all of us to contribute our ideas to the Change Team. This is a great opportunity for all of us to make a difference, and the time to take advantage of it is now. By contributing to Carrier 2000, we'll very soon be able to see that difference in the way we work together, and in the eyes of our customers.
Richard Laubenstein
Breakthrough in Shanghai
Shanghai has its first air conditioned public bus, courtesy of Shanghai Carrier Transicold.
Our China joint venture has been at work over the last year cultivating a market of vast potential - municipal bus operations in China. With the development of roads and public transportation to support China's huge population, there is an emerging need for the comfort our bus products provide. By placing the first rooftop unit on a public bus in Shanghai, a city of 8 million, Shanghai Carrier Transicold is exposing the market to our products' benefits, and positioning itself for the future.
To mark the bus's release, a special ribbon-cutting ceremony was held July 23 at Shanghai Carrier Transicold's facility. In attendance were officials of Shanghai Transit, the Public Utilities Bureau, and of Shanghai Mechanical and Electrical Holding Company, parent company of our joint venture partner, Shanghai Refrigerating Machine Works (SRMW). According to Hong Koh Hing, our general manager in Shanghai, the ceremony and the new public service generated a wave of interest. The ceremony was covered by numerous television stations and newspapers, including one from Japan.
"The air conditioned bus has created excitement among commuters, the transit authority and the bus operators," said Hong. "We continue to receive written feedback from Shanghai commuters supporting our efforts in pushing for air conditioned buses, and we're encouraging municipal authorities to consider the benefits of passenger comfort as they plan for bus services."
Those plans are important, given the scale of China's growth. The Chinese government has called for modernization of its transport infrastructure, and construction will begin next year on a 98-kilometer road connecting East and West Shanghai which presents attractive opportunities for public transit companies. These companies wish to attract commuters, and realize that climate-controlled comfort is a competitive advantage that their customers are willing to pay for. In fact, the bus companies are able to realize significant revenue gains due to Carrier Transicold products - they are able to increase their fares based on the public's demand for air conditioning.
Beyond personal comfort, there is also government interest in the benefits of transport air conditioning. There is growing recognition that air conditioning makes for a comfortable environment that allows millions of Chinese commuters to be at their most productive when they arrive at their jobs. This quality-of-life enhancement, along with Carrier Transicold's introduction of environmentally friendly refrigerants R-22 and R-134a, reinforces the country's drive to modernize while protecting the environment.
Shanghai Carrier Transicold has conducted surveys of commuters and bus operators indicating great satisfaction with our products. Based on the introduction of Shanghai's first air conditioned bus, we can expect many more of our products to travel China's roads in the future.
Supporting Technician Training
There is a serious problem in the North American truck/trailer refrigeration market - a shortage of trained service technicians. Our dealers and customers are in need of many more qualified employees in this area, and sought Carrier Transicold's help in meeting that need.
CTD's Customer Training Department, together with the Truck/ Trailer NAO Service Advisory Board, responded by developing the Vocational School and College Support Program, an effort aimed at helping vocational training institutions recruit and prepare the refrigeration service technicians our industry requires. Customer Training Manager Bob Prenoveau researched training programs across the U.S. and Canada, and selected six institutions for the program to allow even geographic coverage throughout the NAO territory.
CTD provides each of these schools training materials such as service manuals, videos and slide shows to aid in student education, as well as the use of a reduced-cost Ultra trailer unit for hands-on training. Directories of Carrier Transicold customer service and dealer personnel are also provided so that students and instructors can contact our people with questions about the equipment. In addition, we help the schools maintain a database of employment opportunities with our dealers and customers to assist them in job placement for their students.
The participating schools include: Eastern Wyoming College, Torrington, WY; New Brunswick Community College, New Brunswick, Canada; Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Calgary, Canada; Triangle Tech of Pittsburgh, PA; Universal Technical Institute, Houston, Texas; and Universal Technical Institute, Phoenix, AZ. Response from the schools has been enthusiastic.
"Carrier Transicold's involvement has made a real difference in student education here," said Tracy Stromberg, an instructor at Eastern Wyoming College. "We now have top-of-the-line training equipment that is used in the real world."
By better preparing students to fill much-needed positions with dealers and customers, CTD's Vocational School and College Support Program has been a welcome response to a significant problem.
For More InformationTo request or supply information concerning The Globe, contact Anthony D'Angelo at Tel. 315/433-4750, FAX 315/432-7683, or via cc:Mail.
