July/August 2016 |
15
New offices and training space are among recent renovations at the Kent Shop
intended to improve efficiency and the customer experience for Davey employees.
The company recently finished a large addition housing the new office spaces for
a receptionist, the shop manager and supervisor. A large room above the offices
provides space for training and holding meetings.
Paul Milano, Davey's corporate fleet manager, said the upgrades help to reinvent
the Kent Shop as the premiere equipment repair facility for its service region,
which includes Davey facilities in Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
For several years, the shop maintained two services. One is equipment build-up,
acquiring trucks from vendors and outfitting them to Davey field specifications.
The other service is repairing field equipment.
"That's the side we've been missing," Milano said. "And that's the side our field
people have been requesting."
Milano said the renovations and upgrades help the Kent Shop meet its goal of
becoming a more cost-effective and friendly alternative to private repair shops. To
that end, the shop hired four repair technicians. The shop has one roving technician
to help with mobile service in the field, and another roving tech is in training.
The shop also invested in modern diagnostic equipment, and the warehouse
operations received a new work station and improved inventory controls.
As Davey's largest repair facility, and located near headquarters, it's perfect to
pilot such programs for adaptation to other, regional Davey facilities, Milano said.
Following the retirement of Denny Anderson [see page 36] as manager, the
company brought in Scott Bucciere [see page 33] as Kent Shop manager.
"Scott brings a wealth of experience in customer service," Milano said. "We're
trying to run the shop like a business in terms of customer satisfaction."
NEW SPACES, DIRECTION FOR KENT SHOP
A two-story addition to the 63,000-square-foot Kent Shop provides new training space
on the second floor with offices on the first.
The addition allowed for new, modern office
space for shop management.
Up-to-date brand logos were included as part
of the renovations. Read about the history of
the Kent Shop on page 38.
