How PALFINGER operators bring light in dark times!
Using the Operator Pool, a database where operators register if they want to give input and share experiences with the PALFINGER product development team, we sent out a first survey right before Christmas in 2021. The survey was about how the lighting situation is managed during crane operations at night. Specifically, we asked how PALFINGER operators are currently managing their lighting situation. Which lights have they actually installed on their cranes and vehicles? What are the main challenges and suggestions on how to solve them? The short survey was designed to be easily answered on a mobile phone. We also asked the operators to upload pictures of their crane and truck. With permission of the senders, you see some of these pictures here. The response was overwhelming.
Florian Essl, Inbound Product Manager at Product Line Loader Crane, is really enthusiastic about this project: “We will use the feedback as part of the specification for future lighting options for our products. The input we got is worth a lot, especially specific information like the pictures and videos received from the participants, because we couldn’t ever see that many night operations by visiting customers on their worksites. Our team is very glad to be able to contact the operators directly for fast feedback so we can also speed up the specification phase for new development projects. We are deeply thankful for all the participants who took the time to provide their input. Every single response is valuable.”
PALFINGER started the operator pool in 2021 when the Customer Centricity team decided to take a step further in understanding and getting to know the users behind PALFINGER products. The insights we received by actively involving operators in the Lighting Survey confirmed that the participants highly value this approach and like to share with PALFINGER. We were overwhelmed by the amount and quality of the answers that the crane drivers provided in the survey: more than 170 operators sent us a description of their current lighting situation; more than 70 operators sent several pictures to show us their setup. We received detailed descriptions of the challenges or solutions they had with working in the dark.
The product development team uses the responses to tailor future developments according to the needs of customers. The lighting survey was the first time PALFINGER used the Operator Pool to get direct input and feedback from crane operators. Besides sending pictures and descriptions, many operators also offered to contact them directly. Therefore, the next survey is already planned, and with some operators, direct visits have already been arranged. For the future, the Operator Pool will be extended to not only include crane operators, but also those of other products like platforms or hook- and skip-loader. Furthermore, our goal is to create a wide variety of countries and regions to be part of the pool. The diversified voices of our customers are important for PALFINGER.
