Case Study: Hands-On Help with Exporting Checkpoint® to Germany
The Birth of Checkpoint®
The Checkpoint® loose wheel nut indicator is the brain child of Mike Marczynski. Over 25 years ago Mike was running a toxic waste disposal company, and when one of the vehicles in his fleet almost lost a wheel, Mike started to think about how to prevent such a disaster from happening in the future.
Had the wheel come off completely, the damage would not only have been of a material kind, but could quite easily have been life-threatening for the lorry driver, for other road users, and even for pedestrians who happened to be in the vicinity of a flying wheel coming off a moving vehicle. Furthermore, the dangerous goods being transported, in this case toxic waste, would have had severe environmental consequences had they spilled out.
So the idea for a device to indicate when there is wheel nut movement on vehicles was born. The real beauty of the idea was that the vehicle owner or driver or maintenance technician would be able to see at a glance whether the wheel nuts are correctly aligned or have moved. In the latter case, they would know immediately that they have to re-torque the wheel nuts in order to prevent possible wheel detachment.
What a simple idea! And what enormous benefits has this brainwave of Mike Marczynski’s had. Once he had developed his original idea and began offering it to fleets, he encountered some initial resistance and scepticism. Then a breakthrough came when a large national company equipped their whole fleet with Mike’s products, and Mike’s company never looked back. However, he realised that such a product was not only beneficial to road users in the UK, but could also help to improve the safety and roadworthiness of vehicles throughout the world.
Today Checkpoint® is a global company selling a full range of safety products in over 80 countries on 6 continents!
For more information about this unique company and its global success story, see the Checkpoint® website.
Our Eight-Point Plan for Doing Business with Germany...
Eureko Associates has been working with Checkpoint® since late 2005. Our aim has been to market and sell the innovative Checkpoint® range of safety critical products to the massive German commercial vehicle market. Over the past decade Eureko has successfully established and grown the Checkpoint® presence in the German market. How did we do it?
1. Market research
Detailed online and on the ground research in Germany looking in-depth at the German commercial vehicle market and identifying best entry points.
2. Translating German sources and materials into English
Making sure that Checkpoint® fully understood how the German commercial vehicle market operates, and providing authentic information about potential partners. We ensure that nothing gets lost in translation!
3. Supplying well-researched information that Eureko had sourced in Germany
Discussing findings with Checkpoint® and evolving a strategy with the customer.
4. Producing promotional material in German
German advertising is different to that in the UK. The Germans mainly want the facts rather than fancy narratives, so we ensure that promotional material is tailored to the German taste.
5. Establishing key contacts and links
Identifying potential clients and organisations early on so that Checkpoint® could make key decisions about how best to proceed.
6. Business visits to Germany
Regularly accompanying Checkpoint’s international sales team on trips to Germany, supporting negotiations, and helping to avoid common linguistic misunderstandings and cultural faux-pas. In this way effective long-term business relationships were built on secure foundations.
7. Cutting company’s costs through outsourcing to Eureko
We provide Checkpoint with a contact office for direct communications with Germany so that our customer’s overheads are kept to a minimum.
8. Working closely together with the client
Eureko has been involved in detailed product briefings and continues to work closely with all staff across Checkpoint®. The cooperation between Eureko and Checkpoint® proves how successful and beneficial for both sides a close and trusting relationship can be.
Eureko’s Vivien Hacker Waine, sums it up like this: “We’ve now been working closely together with Checkpoint® for over 10 years. Checkpoint® makes brilliant safety products, so it’s all about keeping people and the environment more secure. Eureko understands how Germany and the German business mind work. Together, we’ve been able to build a great market in Germany for this innovative company. And healthy sales figures prove it.”
Mike Marczynski, MD of Checkpoint Safety Global HQ, says: “Eureko has been an amazing partner in helping us break into German-speaking markets. Their services and professional assistance have always been of the highest calibre, and we’d certainly recommend them to any company seeking the best quality sales support in Germany. On top of that, both Vivien and Tony, as principals of the Company, are great people to get along with!”
Vivien with Checkpoint's MD Mike Marczynski at their global headquarters
First published 9th March 2017
