AIDE has been the official distributor of Canon spare parts in Russia since 2004. The company's interest in collaboration was sparked off by a project helmed by AIDE's CEO Vadim Kuzmin on introducing a new scheme for providing spare parts to service centers. In our 15 years of collaborative work we have succeeded in bringing down repair times, improving control of using spare parts and ensuring the transparency of work processes, as well as reducing the likelihood of malpractice when catering for customers.
Planning and implementing a new system for supplying spare parts for Canon products' warranty work.
In the early stages of our work together Canon did not engage in any economic activity in the Russian Federation, and the contract was signed with the Finnish company Canon NE. AIDE became the exclusive distributor only after several years, and so in that time it was not possible to set up a single warehouse: the flow of goods went through five different companies. Thanks to the effective organization of importing and the substantial reduction in supply times, AIDE gradually took over the greater part of authorized service centers, creating a local Canon warehouse in Russia and coordinating repair and warranty servicing. In 2005 Canon took the decision to consolidate its single scheme for supplying spare parts to authorized service centers and fully endorse AIDE's suggested approach: by then it had already proven its effectiveness and achieved positive results on a global level.
2009-2010 saw major structural changes within the Canon corporation: Canon RU appeared in Russia, which became engaged in economic activity and independently importing goods. The position of the European warehouses had changed, and consequently logistics had to be set up in such a way that technical glitches could be smoothed out and even temporary pauses in the supply schedule avoided. The main objective was still to provide top-quality service support, therefore AIDE drew up an inventory which enabled the Russian warehouse to work autonomously for more than six months.
Canon is the leading company for image-based operations. Their priority is to provide innovative technologies for photographic work and professional printing. Progress in this area requires serious technical support and particularly attentive interaction with customers. Technical maintenance should include immediate reaction times to requests on technical matters and the efficient repair and recovery of damaged devices and lenses.
Following the creation of a single warehouse, which became possible in 2005, repair times fell drastically. While still at the negotiation stage with Canon the AIDE team developed an IT solution for keeping track of the movements of spare parts: the manufacturer could maintain its own spare parts supply scheme and sell them to AIDE, which on its own account would transfer them free of charge to the centers for warranty repair work. The technology enabled the SMART accounting system to be set up: Canon's contact center now operates with it one hundred percent.
The availability of spare parts and consumables is an essential condition for high quality servicing work. AIDE took on the task and guaranteed that key performance indicators would be achieved.
The project is moving on effectively to this day. Over the past few years the supply chain has been transformed several times: new challenges have been set, and the priorities and distinctive features of the Russian market have altered. Nonetheless, AIDE has optimized its procedures and offered new services and solutions.
2017 witnessed the total restructuring of the supply chain for Canon spare parts. The company decided to move away from standard distributor-based supplies to dispatching directly from the manufacturer's warehouse. These operations, as with the management of the central spare parts warehouse in Russia, Canon RU has entrusted to its reliable partner: AIDE.
In addition to solving logistical challenges, AIDE coordinates the authorized service centers and facilitates the delivery of service policy. The work utilizes specialized IT solutions created by AIDE's developers. Today Canon's servicing structure comprises a hot line, a CRM system and a network of service centers to cater for individuals and corporate clients. This is the external level Canon's customers interact with. Its stability and productivity are ensured by established internal processes controlled by the AIDE team, an accounting system, algorithms for data synchronization and a seamless logistical operation.
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