Commonwealth Equipment is the newest dealer to join Superior's network, partnering in June to represent us in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
This Q&A will help you learn more about their approach to the market.
Matt Buchholtz, Sales Engineer: We began as a tracked dealer and for many years focused solely on that customer base. Soon, we grew into one of the largest material processing dealers in the tracked market.
As Commonwealth grew and our customer base expanded, so did the need for more products and a broader equipment offering. We found ourselves working on projects beyond the scope of our current OEM partners, but the customer still trusted us to provide the right solution.
With Superior’s broad portfolio, it was a natural next step for us to fulfill those customers’ needs.
Chelsea Jernigan, Marketing Director: I've had several instances where one of our salesmen calls and says: "Hey, Chelsea, I’m going to need some new polos because I ended up in or under a machine today."
Our guys are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty to help get customers back up and running. If your machine is down and it’s impacting your day, we’re going to try our darndest to make sure we can get you the parts and service you need right away.
Buchholtz: Everyone is very hands-on and very technical. Most of our sales guys came up in service roles and all of them can fix about 90% of the problems they see in the field. We have a large service department, but this expedites getting the customer going again.
Sometimes, it's a simple adjustment. Other times, sales can provide accurate analysis to service, so they can come better prepared to tackle the issue.
Gary Guthrie, President: We align ourselves with manufacturers that share our customer-first philosophy—organizations that understand the challenges our customers face every day and are committed to continuously improving their products, technology and support. Superior Industries embodies those values.
I visited Superior's manufacturing facilities recently and saw their core values on display . Jeff Gray, Superior's sales director, said we should feel these values as we tour the facilities and meet their people. That box was checked almost immediately.
Successful OEM-distributor relationships are built on shared goals, mutual trust and talented people working together to create value for customers. Throughout our time so far with the Superior team, it’s clear that their passion, ambition and commitment to customer success closely align with our own culture and that of our other partners.
Jernigan: We just sent a couple of customers up to Superior. Instead of us trying to explain who Superior is, Superior said, "Bring them up and let us show them." They gave them a tour, sat down with them, and made sure they were comfortable.
We valued that because it's what we want for our customers. We want them to get familiar with the equipment and the people who build it . We’re very much about going above and beyond, and it seems like Superior is, as well.
Buchholtz: The way Superior responds is the way we like to respond to sales and service calls. So, we align well with each other.
Buchholtz: We picked Superior because they have an extensive line of products that provide solutions in areas we didn’t have options for. It’s a great compliment to the brands we already represent and, as a total package, we feel it enhances our portfolio of industry leaders in their space.
Growth comes from providing value on a strong foundation of ethics, morals, integrity and hard work. Both Commonwealth and Superior have seen significant growth before this partnership. Joining forces, we can complement each other’s strengths, support each other where we have opportunities to develop, and ultimately provide better solutions to our customers.
Guthrie: We are already working on several exciting washing projects and look forward to showcasing those installations soon.
We are particularly excited about Superior’s Fusion® platform, a modular system designed to deliver many of the benefits of a stationary plant while significantly reducing project costs, installation complexity, and lead times.
We have some impressive conveyors on order for stock, including a 42-inch x 170-foot TeleStacker® Conveyor. These are new products for Commonwealth and we’re excited to put them to work.
Buchholtz: In general, it’s good, open, honest, thorough communication between the OEM and the dealer. It’s having people to talk to and having the people you talk to possess product knowledge so you don’t have to wait for an answer.
Superior has done a great job of laying out who we need to talk to depending on the topic.
We saw Superior in the field before we became a dealer. We saw their how their help from the factory responded when there were issues. We’d also heard from other Superior dealers how responsive they are and about the product knowledge they have.
You hear that, but until you live it and breathe it every day, you don’t fully appreciate it.
So, the surprise is that everyone was telling us the truth: Superior is responsive, they get answers, they want to get things done, and are genuinely want to help.
Guthrie: We talked about alignment in our values and goals. We talked about a relentless focus on putting the customer first. The next steps are putting that all into practice in the field.
I joined our sales and service team recently to commission a Superior wash project, which offered a true test of the products and the support. Commonwealth had to change the product spec for the application, so it involved contacting Superior's engineers, customer support, product managers and parts teams. It was a great first run at what the future will look like.
The job presented some typical challenges, but the Superior team was at their end of the phone with immediate and accurate information, allowing our team to successfully commission the plant. We can’t ask for much more.
Every product will have issues; the differentiator is how you deal with them.