COMPANY SPOTLIGHT
Leading the charge Whether it’s watching international sports from the comfort of your lounge, or having your shopping delivered to your door, life simply wouldn’t be possible without batteries. Notice it or not, this technology is omnipresent in every facet of our daily lives. As European market leader for over 30 years, no one is more aware of this than battery manufacturer GS Yuasa, whose products are quite literally everywhere. From powering the submarines traversing the deepest depths of the ocean, to the technology aboard the International Space Station and everywhere in between. In this Q&A, we delve into the GS Yuasa ethos, the secret to the company’s success and how the manufacturer of Yuasa batteries has not only survived, but thrived, in the face of a global pandemic.
For anyone unaware of Yuasa (god forbid), for the uninitiated, could you please briefly surmise what it is you guys do and how long you have been involved in the industry? GS Yuasa (Yuasa’s parent company) have been making batteries for over 100 years, celebrating its centenary in 2017 and 2018. It is the world’s leading battery manufacturer, dedicated to innovation and growth. Yuasa has been Europe’s market-leading industrial battery for over 30 years. Here in the UK, we are the market leader for industrial and vehicle batteries. When it comes to the Valve Regulated Lead Acid (VRLA) battery market, the type of battery supplied for UPS equipment, Yuasa is without question number one. We supply VRLA batteries to data centres via UPS equipment manufacturers, the likes of Schneider Electric, Eaton, Vertiv and Socomec. We also supply original equipment manufacturers for the telecom industry, as well as the telecoms industry directly. For instance, we have had a contract with British Telecom (BT) for 30 years, which is testament to our cemented position within the industry. How would you describe the Yuasa ethos? Yuasa’s ethos from the top down is the customer. We always put the cus-
38 Electrical Review | October 2020
tomer first, and provide the best possible service, support, and supply. It’s all about having the right supply, right products, and right stock availability at the right time. We make sure we provide a high-quality service, knowledgeable people, support from start to finish and can correct any errors ourselves. All that combined with the quality of the product itself is why people deal with us. And if problems do occur, the customer knows we will support them in getting it right. So, what do you think is the secret to Yuasa’s success? What does Yuasa do differently? If you look at the UPS industry in the UK, Yuasa probably has 70-75% of the market. We believe that is because we always listen to what the customer wants and design a response based on their needs. Customers are individuals that may require different services, therefore we provide a very high-quality product, at a reasonable price, with a customer service set up that outstrips that of any of our competitors. What is it that makes the Yuasa customer service offering so unique? We strive to go above and beyond in everything we do. We offer a com-
