Products and solutions Sep 9, 2003 2:00 AM
Intensive Customer Contact with KISS
With the establishment of the Auto Division, ThyssenKrupp Stahl is underlining its claim to have evolved from being exclusively a materials manufacturer to being a comprehensive systems partner for the automobile industry. As part of the new organizational structure, all resources related to automotive steels will be concentrated in this division. To enable increased customer focus and more efficient processes, communication with customers will become more direct and simpler. In the future, all the automobile manufacturers` and suppliers` questions concerning materials, joining, surfaces, forming and vehicle technology will be dealt with by key account teams formed especially to address the individual needs of the customers. These customer teams are supported in their work by the web-based customer information and service system, KISS.
This system is a completely new approach to personalized communication and is adapted to customers` individual needs to provide them with precisely the information they need for the product creation process. They are also provided with a whole series of services that will make it easier for them to call up the specific data they require in the future. The data is always up-to-date, in contrast to printed products, such as brochures. The system can immediately display every new feature, any alterations that have been made and even the current status of the projects.
Automobile developers can count on KISS to provide a variety of support services for each phase of their work. In the "Services" section, customers can find the contact partners who are on their key account team and services related to the research, advance development, production development, production start-up and production milestones. The services provided here range from advice on materials and surfaces, prototyping, simultaneous and concurrent engineering, forming and process analysis right through to product development and optimization.
Users of KISS can also obtain comprehensive information on the manufacturing and processing steps under the "Manufacturing" section, and under the "Products" section they will find information on the complete range of steels. In addition to the customary route via products and services, customers wanting to find a material suitable for them quickly and easily have access to another road - the `freeway` via the areas of application. It takes just three clicks for body design engineers, for example, to call up an intelligent selection of materials for their component, taking into account various requirements such as forming behavior, potential for lightweight construction and crash behavior.
As a supplement to the detailed specialist brochures that focus on respective sub-segments, KISS will include an integrated complete overview of "steel in automobile construction" and will also feature news and highlights such as ULSAB - Advanced Vehicle Concepts and TEB -Thyssen Engineered Blanks®.
The integrated component database complete with examples of applications will enable customers to research all relevant reference components at one location in the future. In addition to featuring an illustration and a brief description, the database will provide information on usage, the manufacturer and material supplier, supply options, applied processes and materials and, of course, contact partners.
Another benefit is its linkage. In all parts of the program, the system supplies extensive cross references to other internal and external information such as publications, expert lectures, PowerPoint presentations, supply options, material data sheets and other websites.
KISS also makes full use of the possibilities presented by electronic mail: Customers, partners, employees and trade journalists are informed of interesting new contents by means of individual newsletters.
The customer information and service system expertly presents complex contents in a clear, easy manner. A lot of energy was put into the development of a simple and clear navigation structure to help customers find exactly what they are looking for. KISS will be offered as a password-protected extranet for customers and trade journalists and will be expanded successively: www.thyssenkrupp-stahl.de/kiss.
Contact:
ThyssenKrupp Steel AG
Dietmar Stamm
Tel.: +49 203 / 52 - 2 62 67
Fax: +49 203 / 52 - 2 57 07
e-mail: dietmar.stamm@tks.thyssenkrupp.com
Bernd Overmaat
Tel.: +49 203 / 52 - 4 51 85
Fax: +49 203 / 52 - 2 57 07
e-mail: bernd.overmaat@tks.thyssenkrupp.com