We're thrilled to announce the appointment of Ciarán Rogers as our new Service Operations Manager at Atlas Copco. With a wealth of experience and a passion for optimizing processes, Ciarán is set to lead our team towards even greater success. Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down with Ciarán and get his insights on his new role, his vision for the future, and the strategies he plans to implement. Here's what he had to say:
How do you feel about your appointment as the new Service Operations Manager?
"I am excited about the role ahead and eagerly look forward to optimising our processes to better help our customers and staff. I have worked in several different roles prior to this, and I feel the experience I gained along the way will be invaluable here."
What excites you the most about taking on this new role?
"The people. We have a great mix of very experienced staff as well as more recent hires that bring fresh ideas and a lot of potential. It’s the people you work with that achieve the results and I'm glad to say we have some very talented members of the team that we can depend on."
What are your top priorities for improving our Service Operations?
"Safety is always our top priority, and safety is everyone's responsibility. As part of my role, I will be encouraging the reporting of all safety risks and near misses. Without this, we cannot continue to improve the safety of all our staff and stakeholders. Another top priority involves incorporating feedback from our front-line staff and customers. One of our core commitments at Atlas Copco is that the one closest to the problem is closest to the solution. Our front-line staff and customers see first-hand how our operations run and are often best placed to identify issues and come up with solutions. We get a lot of support from the division that monitors and suggests improvements. Incorporating their advice in a way that works locally for Ireland is very important. Although we do already have great staff, I will be looking at their training and coaching so that they are as prepared as possible for the daily challenges they face."
What strategies do you believe will be most effective in meeting our customers’ needs?
"More and more of our customers are looking at energy efficiency and sustainability. As a result, they naturally want to partner with service providers that have the same objectives. It is imperative that we continue to look at how we conduct our business and find ways to reduce our impact on the environment. Effective communication is vital for us to meet our customers' needs, and this is something that I will be monitoring and looking at how we can improve. Continuing to innovate and make use of the latest tools at our disposal is also key."
How do you see technology playing a part in how we conduct our business in the future?
"Technology has always been key to Atlas Copco. When I first joined, one of my first projects was to be involved in the rollout of SAP as the local Business Key User (BKU) for logistics in Ireland. Our ERP system prior to this was BPCS, so upgrading to SAP was a big change. Since then, the systems we use have continued to evolve, and now systems like Power BI and Power Automate are heavily used and integrated into our daily work. In terms of the tools our Field Service Engineers use, there have been a lot of advancements in recent years. For example, we now have more advanced tools that can offer better, more accurate leak detection scans, air quality audits, and bearing vibration analysis. The division is always looking at how we can more efficiently and safely carry out our service work and developing tools to help with this. Innovation and technology are always progressing, and part of my role will be to stay up to date on the latest advancements and roll them out in Ireland in conjunction with the feedback I receive from the field. On the customer side, we have our Smartlink remote monitoring web portal that can remotely monitor the running of our compressors in the field. This has been very useful for helping to resolve customer issues over the phone. Of course, we can always attend sites if required, but there are many times where problems can be resolved over the phone, helping to keep our customers' production up and running. We also offer a remote monitoring service to proactively monitor our units in the field and predict if a breakdown or warning is likely."
What is your long-term vision for the Service Operations team?
"There is always change, and over the last number of years in particular, the service team has grown substantially. We expect soon to have 20 field service engineers, along with 2 CTS planners and 2 regional service managers, along with a strong sales team and back-office support. Thankfully, the number of equipment we look after continues to grow year after year, and we always need to be prepared to provide a high level of service. Our product portfolio has also expanded significantly with the addition of chillers, blowers, and high-pressure compressors, to name a few. This will also lead to more service work to be completed. As a result, I expect the team to continue to grow over the next few years as our business grows. Tools like Power Automate and Microsoft Copilot are transforming the way we do business. It is important that we stay on top of all the latest developments so we can continue to provide the best service possible."
We are confident that under Ciarán's leadership, our Service Operations team will continue to thrive and provide exceptional service to our customers. Welcome aboard, Ciarán! We look forward to the exciting changes and improvements you will bring to the team.