Our man in Michigan – Matt Bechtold
HLH pride ourselves on our communication and service. We know there is nothing like having someone close by to talk to and discuss detail with when you have complex and important parts and projects to realise in short lead times. HLH are a global team with people all over the world. Today we talk with Matt Bechtold who is based in Michigan, USA.
T. +1 248-230-0772 |
Please introduce yourself
Hello, I’m Matt Bechtold I live in Southeast Michigan area and have worked in tooling and prototype shops for 25+ years. Living my whole life in and around the motor city I like everything that burns gas and believe that you can always make something go faster.
Tell us what you do at HLH
I try to make connections with customers that have specific needs and work towards finding solutions for them. It’s not just finding customers and selling them prototypes its about working with them on each unique project they have and filling their immediate needs.
Why do you love what you do?
I am a builder at heart, I like to see things go together and help with problem-solving to make them work. I love the process of fabrication in all forms from modeling, machining, molding, and finishing. I love working with metal, plastics, wood, fixtures, paint, and coatings. I have spent my life doing this and continue to learn more every day. I love the fact that I get to be involved in helping others with their projects and see their visions come to life.
Where does HLH fit in the industry as you see it?
I believe HLH fits in many sectors of the industry, HLH does low volumes quantities to high volume quantities, HLH many levels of finishing from rough off the machine to painted and polished, chrome or anodized. I don’t know any company that provides the range of services that HLH does under one roof and can do them as well as HLH.
What is your customer service manifesto?
I want to deliver on every promise I make and will attentively listen to all of your concerns,
I will be easy to reach and take pride in being on call at all the times if for some reason something goes wrong. I will resolve your issues in a reasonable amount of time, I will admit when we have made a mistake and be responsible for them. In every situation, I will ask you what it will take to make you feel satisfied.
Do you think US companies can still work with China in light of the trade war?
I think smart companies are always going to be looking for a competitive edge. There will be some products that may find it hard to do business with China. I believe that since HLH is in the business of bit and pieces it will be less affected than the companies selling whole products. It will all work its way out but unless you get a quote you won’t really know how it is going to work for you so don’t hesitate to let me quote something for you today.
Where do you see the industry going in the next five years?
This is a difficult question because everyone in the development community approaches prototyping differently depending on what type of product they produce, Visual, mechanical, structural, preproduction, low volume production but the technology I like is printed carbon parts. I have not had any customers ask about it so I am not sure what space in the industry will pick it up but I find the technology and the parts to be very impressive and could see a fit in a few different markets.
What are the biggest challenges for your customers and how are HLH addressing them?
Cost and timing are always going to be a challenge for the customer, HLH does its best to address these issues and perform the best we can to meet the customers’ needs but at the same time, we do our best to add value through customer service and providing solutions.
What can HLH do better?
This is hard to answer because HLH does so many things so well but the ERP system that HLH is in the process of launching will definitely help with quoting and speed up the access of information within the company to deliver even better service to the customer.
Parting note
HLH is a great company to work with and we will do whatever it takes to help with the success of the project.