Meet the team - Dennis Gardner

You’ve covered so many roles within the industry, and bring real experience, from manufacturing to management and consultancy. How did that unfold?

I started off as an engineer, so I've worked in factories. I've worked in administration departments. I've been on site installing equipment. I've seen how it all works. About 90% of my work has been involved with manufacturing companies. So, I've been around a lot of different manufacturing companies. I know what they need, what they don't need and I know what they do. What I don't know are their issues. So that’s where I need to ask them to paint me a picture of the issues, so I can paint the vision of the solutions to help them.

At the end of the last century, I spent about three or four years as a management consultant for a major firm. I was essentially working for the client, helping them find the right system for their needs. It helped me understand the mentality of the client. I realised, its not just about the system, it's about the people that come with that system. It's about the package, it's about the support, it's about the culture, it's about the fit.

How did you end up in sales for manufacturing-specific software for ECI Solutions?

I got into sales because I believe I can paint the vision for a manufacturer. They don't realise there's something out there - an IT system - that will help their specific needs. I was an electronic engineer, and saw industry-specific systems being implemented, and I thought, wow, this really helps the business. So I moved over to the technology industry and did everything from development to implementations myself, and then eventually got into sales. I paint that vision of ‘this is how good the manufacturing business will be once you've got this solution in place’.

What do you see as the key benefits you bring to your customers?

Basically, in a manufacturing company there are three main areas of improvement.

• Reducing Costs
• Producing the product faster, but still high quality, out the door
• Increasing sales

No software system can increase sales directly, but if you can reduce your costs, it means you can have a more competitive offering.

If you can get the product out the door, it means you can go to your customers and say ‘I can get it to you quicker’.

You can then go to your sales people and say ‘You know it takes six weeks to produce this? We can now do it in four. And, it used to cost $1,000. Now it costs $800’.

So indirectly, it does help sales through efficiency.

leverage their capabilities to enhance your business processes.

What’s your philosophy for doing business?

It has to be face to face. It has to be human. You have to see the person, right? You have to know that if you walk past me in the street, it's ‘Oh hi! How are you?’.

At the end of the day, when I help a customer, it's extremely satisfying. It's knowing I've established a good customer relationship. I still send out emails to my customers from time to time. It shows you that they're still happy, and the relationships are still very good.