Customer service that goes above and beyond

Alucar’s salesperson Thomas Partanen lives and breathes customer projects. He is tirelessly looking for new solutions to make the timber trucks perfect for their owners. And the best part is that he loves his job. The most recent big project was a MAN truck that was delivered to Sweden. This timber truck included multiple special solutions from a front protection to a motif painting. Even if Alucar did not have something at hand, it did not slow Thomas down.

Thomas Partanen started working at Alucar 7 years ago. After working in domestic sales and spare part sales, he moved to export sales. Sweden and the Baltic countries are his sales areas. Thomas’ job is his passion and a real dream come true – he gets to travel, dig into customers’ wishes, and help fulfill them.

“I truly enjoy my job. Projects vary a lot, which is important to me. The trucks in my sales areas are built in the factory, and I get to be involved in every stage from ideation to building the finished truck,” he says.

A timber truck of dreams

One good example of Thomas’ hard work and perseverance is the MAN timber truck ordered by a Swedish customer. In the spring of 2021, Enköping-based Bredsands Skogstransporter AB decided to order a truck from Alucar for the first time.

Thomas travelled to Enköping to visit the customer, and began figuring out their needs and wishes. It quickly became clear that there would be an interesting challenge ahead, filled with problem solving and planning. After the customer had unveiled all their ideas and dreams, Thomas did not hesitate to take up the challenge. This will be taken care of.

And then began the planning. The customer wanted a perfectly tailored, turnkey timber truck with Alucar’s timber equipment and crane. Every solution might not be sold every day at Alucar, but this time they were.

“By talking to the customer we were eventually able to find a good concept that could help us build as complete a truck as possible,” Thomas states.

A painted lion and special equipment make the truck stylish and functional

The crane, the front protection, and, for the first time in history, the cabin’s motif painting were, among other things, ordered from Alucar. The customer hoped that the painting would be made in Finland, and wanted the theme to be a lion, since there is a lion in MAN’s logo as well.

Thomas started taking care of it. He utilized his networks and found a skilled painter in Ostrobothnia. The area has a strong superstructure and trailer manufacturing cluster with the widest range of know-how and expertise.

Since the customer had given us artistic freedom, Thomas and the painter began designing the picture together, contemplating and developing ideas with each other. When the painting was finally finished, the end result was even more stunning than expected.

“There is now a blue-green lion on the truck’s black side. The end result is magnificent, and the customer is thrilled,” Thomas rejoices.

The MAN chassis is rarely used for timber trucks, which is why many solutions had to be tailored. The project required a lot of consideration and planning, but in the end every wish came true.

The truck’s most prominent special equipment include:

  • A front protection
  • An integrated cover for side underrun protection
  • Flashing warning beacon lights on the crane outriggers
  • A moving and detachable crane console, a rarity in the Swedish market

Open attitude and good team spirit

Investing in your own job satisfaction and stylish equipment is very important in the timber transport industry. Drivers usually want to customize their trucks to fit their own tastes and needs. Thomas therefore wants to really understand the customer’s way of thinking in order to figure out how their wishes could be fulfilled.

“This is my way of doing things,” he humbly says. “I always try to visit the customer to discuss the details so that I can get a clear understanding of the customer’s vision. I have often found that customers appreciate the fact that I genuinely care about their wishes and needs.”

The freshly finished MAN lion truck is an excellent example of the kind of customer service Thomas, and Alucar, can deliver. Even the wildest dreams can be fulfilled with a great team spirit. The MAN truck is a continuation of Alucar’s previous special projects, such as Lars Persson Åkeri’s trucks. The company specializes in the transport of utility poles that can be up to 20 meters long. This sets its own requirements for trucks. Read more about the project.

“I never ask colleagues if this will work. Instead, we try to solve things together. It all starts with designing the truck, and a big part of the initial work is done in cooperation with designers. Once the parts are on the paper, we start the production and begin to fulfill the customer’s wishes. We solve every challenge together. It is amazing to get good feedback from a grateful customer in the final stages of the project. It brings us joy and makes us even more resilient,” Thomas chats.

And how satisfied was the new Swedish customer with their MAN truck and its Alucar equipment?

“Well, they have already ordered another truck from us. Even the cabin’s interior is currently being designed by us. So, the fun and interesting cooperation continues. They place a great amount of trust in Alucar.”