Interviews: Industrial

Close to the customer

Interview with Carles Masip, owner and managing director

Masip-Giussani is a small plant that started up in 1982 with full time employees and 10 – 15 part-time. It mainly produces a range of jerry can, tanks, baskets from 5 up to 60 lt. The biggest machine is a UMA 30 (or 35) and the production capacity can count on a total of six machines, three are Uniloy and three Spanish brands.

Which characteristics are considered to be the most important by your customers?
Masip: Today, the customers demand two things: quality and a good service. The jerry can product range is not personalized but absolutely standard so our strength depends on fast service and good quality. We have an internal warehouse for quick deliveries. The only innovations in the jerry can world regard only small details as, for example, easier caps that are more practical, open or closed, needle blow molded handles. We work mainly to improve the details. In any case, our customer is not very concerned with the article itself but demands good prices and quick delivery, besides product quality of course, which is in line with precise standards.

What is the strength or added value offered on the market by a company like Masip Giussani?
Masip: Our strength is a direct and personal relationship with the customer. Our customer can call us any time, even during the night, for any problem and will have a solution available the next day. Furthermore, our customers can always speak to the same person. Compared to the big multinational companies we have concentrated on the flexibility of our personnel. I would like to underline that in our small company dimension we offer both a social and professional service focused on safety and quality in the work environment, not commonly adapted in all companies. We give our employees independence and request a lot of responsibility, which is the only way to have direct control of the situation, making it possible to always work with responsibility.

So what are the “winning” characteristics to face today’s market?
Masip: It is necessary to have an extremely flexible plant, “happy” and motivated personnel to meet the possible market demands, and nothing more. We can’t do the impossible even though the customers often expect us to do so.