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OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) warranties are designed to protect the end user from unplanned costs due to premature component failures. These guarantees are one of the best ways to maximize the value of your equipment investments, and ensure that any deficient parts are replaced quickly and efficiently.

As a leading manufacturer of secondary packaging solutions, Douglas Machine Inc. provides a robust OEM warranty across all of our equipment. This robust warranty is one of the reasons we’ve become a trusted provider of shrink wrap systems, case and tray packers, cartoners and more for customers across the nation. Our goal is to provide your business with the insights and support it needs to succeed. So today, we’ll be walking you through the many benefits of OEM warranties.

Troubleshooting Failed Components

The best machine warranties not only cover the cost of replacing parts, but also provide assistance in troubleshooting to the failed component level. That’s why it’s so essential to research the warranty offered by each machine you consider for your business. The level of support the OEM provides can make all the difference in avoiding production downtime and keeping your team on course.

Fast, Convenient Service

Dealing with the equipment OEM is a one-stop shop for resolving component failures, as opposed to trying to work through many component OEMs. This one point of contact makes the process of returning and replacing parts more convenient and efficient. Equipment OEMs can also help with programming warranty-returned components to support faster start-ups.

Another important aspect of OEM warranties is that OEMs do the legwork of negotiating warranties on sub-level components of the equipment. These guarantees are even more convenient when the OEM is available to process claims through the various component OEMs … making component replacement simple for your team.

Quality Components & Products

A long-term OEM warranty is a strong indication that a product is high quality and engineered to last. While it’s not the only factor to consider when making a purchase, we recommend prioritizing machines that offer at least two-year warranties across their standard components and one-year warranties for buyer-specified components.

Despite these benefits, remember that any warranty program is a poor substitute for a well-stocked parts room with adequate replacement components for each piece of equipment!

No matter their quality, warranty returns take valuable time to evaluate and process which hampers productivity and your bottom line.

Best-In-Class Warranty from Douglas Machine Inc.

All new packaging equipment manufactured and supplied by Douglas is warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for the time period specified below. The warranty period commences from the date the equipment is shipped from our facility.

• Base Frame: Lifetime
• Douglas Standard Components: 3 years
• Buyer-Specified Components: 1 year

 

Some limitations and restrictions apply.

Experience the Benefits of Innovation With Douglas

Ready to learn more about our warranty and selection of powerful secondary packaging solutions? Then be sure to contact Douglas Machine today. Our team would be happy to provide any additional information you need to find the right products for your business – and ensure your investment is properly protected.

In business, one important question to ask is why customer service is so important. After all, if you get a purchase order, doesn’t that mean you’ve won over the customer? Another question to consider is why project execution is just as important as securing orders from new customers. A resounding answer to those questions is that, on average, it costs approximately five times more to attract a new customer than it costs to retain an existing customer.

That fact alone highlights the importance of providing excellent customer service. Every business should do whatever it takes to ensure their customers stay happy and continue doing business with them. After all, customers are typically more willing to work with a business that they’ve had a great experience with than to find someone new.

Traits to Look for When Partnering with a Company

“Treat others as you’d like to be treated.” This saying rings clear and true in customer service. The customer service skills that matter to you should matter to companies you work with. When working together, keep your eyes and ears open for the following traits. When you find all of them in one company, you’ll know you’ve found the right company to partner with.

Integrity

Listen for honesty. Ask a lot of questions — even hard questions. If they are willing to say no, with a dedicated explanation, they are transparent and willing to admit their limitations. Saying and doing the right thing lets you know that they will do all they can to provide the service you are looking for, yet will not waste your time by saying they can deliver on a service when they cannot. That is a company filled with integrity. And that is a company you want to do business with.

Communication

When a company listens to you right from the start of your interaction with them, they have the opportunity to learn important information that could help you address your needs. Make sure they can articulate what you shared with them so you know they understand your goals. Ask questions to ensure they are committed to follow through — and will provide outstanding customer service during every stage of the buying process, and continue after the purchase.

 

It’s also important that they keep you informed and regularly updated about the progress of the project and notify you when changes are going to occur. Communicating through constant updates is vital to the business relationship.

Knowledge of Your Product

Outstanding customer service means the company has thorough knowledge and experience with your products and is able to help you make the best decisions. Asking the right questions to understand your product will help them seek the right solution for you and can prove valuable down the road should you run into challenges.

Responsiveness

It’s important to receive great customer service in an efficient and responsive manner. Make sure your concerns are getting addressed quickly; a company should be attentive to your comments and feedback and quick to assess and act on your needs.

What Customer Service Means to Douglas

For Douglas, providing an exceptional customer-driven experience conveys our strong values and belief in our company’s mission statement to enrich lives by providing differentiated packaging automation and services. It’s indicative of our drive to build something of value, to make a difference and to help others.

When you choose Douglas, you’re getting more than a quality product — you’re gaining a complete customer-driven experience. Our values of Unwavering Integrity, Servant’s Heart, Ownership Spirit and Continuous Innovation mean we conduct business in a manner that is legal, ethical and moral for every employee owner, customer, supplier and competitor.

Douglas makes a difference in your customer service experience by living out 6 + 1 ways to delight customers.

6 + 1 Ways to Delight Customers

1. Quality
2. Professional Courtesy
3. Can-do Attitude
4. Responsiveness
5. Convenience
6. Progressive Follow-Up

+ 1 Something extra to exceed expectations

Today, only four out of every 100 businesses last through until the 10-year mark. As we enter our 53rd year of business, we continue to strive for higher levels of customer service. As a 100% employee-owned company, we take personal pride in designing, building and supporting the world’s best packaging machines. This vision unites us as a team every day, and is the cornerstone of our customer-driven culture.

Secondary Packaging Solutions from Douglas Machine

At Douglas, our Project Management team works with you every step of the way to understand your needs, understand your product and to communicate every step of the process with you. Douglas is proud to provide world-class service for all our customer’s needs. Remote Service Technicians are located throughout the United States to offer the most responsive local support possible.

Our team is dedicated to assisting you throughout the life of your equipment. Pride of ownership—it’s our way of ensuring that nobody works harder to give you more. In every aspect of your relationship with us, you will experience 100% commitment to a partnership that ensures your brand is represented with quality, integrity and pride.

Call or message us today to learn more about our team and innovative machine solutions. You can also connect with us to learn more about our values and the other customers we’ve served over the years. We can’t wait to hear from you.

by Paige Knorek.

Welcome to the second installment of Women in the Workplace Series. You can read the first article in the series featuring my interview with Pat Thoen here.

Did you know that just over 11% of all Douglas Machine employees are female?

As the newest employee contributing to that 11% statistic at Douglas Machine, I was surprised with the opportunity to write an article on the topic “Douglas – Then & Now.” I’m still learning about Douglas now, in addition to the rich history of Douglas over the years! After considering the possibilities, however, I decided to narrow my focus to a topic I was truly curious about: the women who have been employed at Douglas since the company was first established in 1964.

In order to get a credible perspective on this topic, I interviewed seven women, including one retiree and six current employees. Their work spans every decade of Douglas’s existence—and therefore provides insight into the experiences of women in the workplace over time, the variety of work that women have contributed to Douglas, and their advice for women who are interested in working in a similar industry.

Interview with Becky Iverson

1. How long have you worked at Douglas, and in what position(s)?

BECKY: I have worked at Douglas for 35 years. When I first started, there were less people in the Accounting department, so I had multiple duties including payroll, accounts payable, HR questions and insurance. My work now is focused more specifically on accounting.

2.   What drew you to this line of work? What specifically brought you to Douglas?

BECKY: I liked my bookkeeping class in high school, so I chose to pursue Accounting in Technical College. I remained in the Accounting realm throughout the different jobs I had. What brought me to Douglas was that the company I previously worked for went out of business. I was registered with a temp agency and received work at Douglas through them.

3. In a nutshell, what do you do?

BECKY: I have a really nice variety of work including payroll, invoicing, collecting accounts, helping with administration of benefits, and working with customers.

4. Were you married and/or were you raising a family when you started working at Douglas?

BECKY: The answer is yes to both questions. I had one child at the time I started, probably a year old. Now I have three children and six grandchildren.

5. Was it usual for women to be working at the time when you started? Did many of your friends and female peers work?

BECKY: Yes, most did. I think it was usual. I did receive a lot of help from my mother in providing day care for the kids while I was at work.

6. How many of the people on your team are also female? What is that like?

BECKY: We have ten people in our department. Seven are women and three are men. It’s a good mix. We seem to enjoy each other and do not have much turnover in our department.

7. In your opinion, how has the role of women in the workplace changed over time? Why do you think those changes have occurred?

BECKY: I think women have strived for more education throughout the years. It’s more competitive now with jobs that probably used to be deemed for males only. Now a woman can fill those positions too with the right education and training.

8. If you were to guess, what percentage of Douglas employees today do you think are women?

BECKY: My guess is 10%.

9. What advice would you give women who are considering working in this industry?

BECKY: Enjoy your job. If you don’t get satisfaction out of the work you’re doing, it feels like more of a job than anything else. At Douglas, I personally enjoy the diversity of duties and the people I work with. It’s very much like a family here.

Connect With Douglas Machine

Reach out to us today to learn more about Douglas Machine and our family! You can also connect with us for more details on our powerful secondary packing solutions.

“To enrich lives by providing differentiated packaging automation and services” is the mission of Douglas The element of enriching lives has multiple facets; one of them is giving back to the community locally, regionally, nationally and even globally.

Events and Organizations

There are many ways our company and employees are engaged in giving back. Most recently, we sponsored the Operation Christmas Child shoebox drive. This is a program by Samaritan’s Purse that collects gift-filled shoeboxes and distributes them to children of impoverished nations around the world. Many of the children have never received a gift before, and their shoebox provides joy and hope. This year, the employees of Douglas contributed 126 shoeboxes. Since Douglas began participating in Operation Christmas Child in 2002, employees have contributed more than 3,000 shoeboxes. This project has become an anticipated event, one in which the entire family can participate. Other ways Douglas and employees give back include events such as the Polar Plunge, which benefits the Special Olympics, they also participate in events for United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and more. Douglas also matches donations to non-profit organizations up to a certain annual amount per employee. There are many opportunities for employees to get involved in enriching the lives of those in our community (and around the world) through active participation or financial support.

Rewarding Kindness & Connection

Each year Douglas presents six employee awards to the employees that best encompass and lives out the meaning of each award. These awards have become highly renowned within the company. One of those awards is the Vern Anderson Enriching Lives Award, which recognizes one employee for positively impacting the lives of others either within Douglas or the community. Nominees for this award have given great examples of what living the core of the Douglas mission is all about. Past award winners include a selfless volunteer firefighter, a dedicated year-in and year-out county fair volunteer, and other generous, thoughtful, and considerate employees. One past award winner even donated a kidney to a colleague! Many at Douglas are highly involved in various capacities in different organizations and it shows by the many nominations submitted for this award.

The Douglas Machine Foundation

The Douglas Machine Foundation is also a significant part of our mission to enrich lives. It was created to provide philanthropic resources for community projects and needs. Most of the resources are primarily focused on communities surrounding Alexandria, Minnesota. The Foundation’s mission is to provide financial support to non profit organizations that have an emphasis on community improvement through social services, education, and various faith-based initiatives.

Drive Enrichment With Douglas Machine

If you’d like to learn more about our enrichment initiatives, and what you can do to get involved, reach out to us today. You can also connect with us to learn more about our range of secondary packaging solutions. We’d love to hear from you.

By Paige Knorek

Did you know that just over 11% of all Douglas Machine employees are female?

As the newest employee contributing to that 11% statistic at Douglas, I was surprised to be given the opportunity to write an article on the topic: “Douglas – Then & Now.” I’m still learning about Douglas as it is now. I was very excited to do some research on the rich history of Douglas over the years.

After considering the possibilities, however, I decided to narrow my focus to a topic I was truly curious about: the women who have been employed at Douglas since the company was first established in 1964.

In order to get a credible perspective on this topic, I interviewed seven women, including one retiree and six current employees. Their work spans every decade of Douglas’s existence, and therefore provides insight into the experiences of women in the workplace over time, the variety of work that women have contributed to Douglas, and their advice for women who are interested in working in an enterprise like Douglas.

To track the changes from then to now, I begin with my interview with Pat Thoen, the very first female employee at Douglas Machine. Following Pat’s interview, the series continues in chronological order up to the most recently hired at Douglas.

Thank you to Pat Thoen, Becky Iverson, Therese Jakes, Jackie Caron, Brenda Larson, Kylie Harer and Candy Eschbach for allowing me to publish your thoughts and experiences, and for all that you do and have done at Douglas! Hearing your stories has been inspiring and encouraging to me as a young woman at the start of my Douglas career.

Interview with Pat Thoen

 

• How long did you work at Douglas, and in what position(s)?

 

We moved to Alexandria in 1964, and the company was started right away. I worked on a part-time basis. If there was any office work, I did that in the evening because I worked as a legal secretary elsewhere during the day. I worked at Douglas until the early 1980s. I said, “When the computer comes in, I go out!” By that time, other girls were doing secretarial work at Douglas.

 

• What drew you to this line of work? What specifically brought you to Douglas?

 

In high school I had planned on being in an office job of some kind, so I took those kinds of courses. My husband asked me to do the secretarial work at Douglas, so I said okay!

 

• In a nutshell, what did you do at Douglas Machine?

 

For my first couple of years at Douglas, I did all of the secretarial work. After a while I narrowed my focus to just bookkeeping.

 

• Were you married and/or were you raising a family when you started working at Douglas?

 

Both. I was married to Bud and we had two children.

 

• Was it usual for women to be working at the time when you started? Did many of your friends and female peers work?

 

Quite a few of my female friends and peers worked.

 

• How many of the people on your team were also female? What was that like?

 

I was the first female employee at Douglas, and the only female employee for quite a few years. In those days there weren’t that many people working at Douglas. At the start it was mostly Bud’s family. I think I knew everybody.

 

• In your opinion, how has the role of women in the workplace changed over time? Why do you think those changes have occurred?

 

I think women have much more responsibility and they get paid better than they used to. More women are working, and not as many women stay home with their kids. It’s necessary for income. We want more things these days, so it’s necessary to work to have those things.

I can remember when the first women were hired in the painting department and even out in Parts. We didn’t think about women having jobs like that. It was different!

 

• Any other comments?

 

In working with the bookkeeping part of the company, there were many times when we didn’t have the money we needed. When it would be time for Payroll or there would be bills due, there were many mornings – I couldn’t count how many – I would go into the prayer group and say, “We need [specific amount of money] today.”  There was not one time that the money didn’t come that day. The company thrived because of God’s blessings.

Embrace Opportunity at Douglas Machine

Check back with us often to read the next interview in this series. To learn more about Douglas Machine and our diverse family, be sure to contact us today. You can also reach out to us for more specific information on our secondary packing solutions. We’re always here to help!