Energyst is celebrating a milestone following the results of a Caterpillar assessment that was carried out at four of Energyst’s European depots in December. The company was recognised as a Five Star Caterpillar rental operation at its first attempt. Not only is Energyst the first Caterpillar rental operation to achieve this status in the EMEA and CIS territory, it is only the second to receive this award globally.
Caterpillar introduced the Five Star Operational Excellence Program to create a culture of market-leading quality and continuous improvement at all its global rental power operations. By encouraging the sharing of key learning and best practices from the most successful operations it aims to elevate standards across its entire network.
Operational Excellence is a philosophy of leadership, teamwork and problem solving resulting in continuous improvement throughout the organization by focusing on the needs of the customer, empowering employees, and optimizing existing activities in the process.
The assessments carried out by Caterpillar are extremely rigorous and cover all aspects of a business from operations, sales and marketing, business growth and finance to HR processes and working practices. The final accreditation a company receives can range from zero to five stars, according to the quality of its operations. Following the assessments in December, Steve Hayward, Independent Auditor for Caterpillar admitted that the outcome had come as a “massive surprise”. He was also very complimentary about the honest and open engagements he experienced during his assessments at the Energyst depots in Leeds (UK), Kungälv (Sweden), Pfungstadt (Germany) and Bladel (the Netherlands).
So how has Energyst managed to fast-track its status within the Caterpillar network?
Frank de Koning, Managing Director Europe at Energyst, believes it’s the people at Energyst that make the difference. “We put real energy into engaging with customers. Together we make a strong, talented and enthusiastic team that goes the extra mile to find the best solutions. The example set by our four depots is an independent quality stamp on our people and organisation, which fills us with a sense of pride. Receiving this Five Star accreditation can only help to raise awareness of the quality of our operation outside the company walls.”
The official Five Star awarding ceremony will take place in the USA later this year. Meanwhile the Energyst team is not resting on its laurels. In addition to five stars the rental operator also received valuable suggestions on further improvements at the four depots that were audited. What’s more, all remaining Energyst depots will be assessed over the next twelve months. The company’s overall accreditation will then be defined by the lowest scoring depots. In Steve Hayward’s words, “Getting on top of the hill is the easy part; staying there is the real challenge.”
Given the real energy that Energyst put into each and every challenge it faces, it will come as no surprise if these five stars are the first of many.
For further information please contact:
Frank de Koning
Director Europe
T: +31 (0)76 543 85 00
frank.de.koning@energyst.com