Rhodia Polyamide Engineering Plastics is very well ranked by it’s Customers for Quality, Service, Product range and Overall Satisfaction

Rhodia Polyamide Engineering Plastics regularly evaluates its customer’s satisfaction through surveys. In March 2005, Rhodia has conducted its 5th customer e-survey.

Five main criteria were assessed:
– Service and product quality
– Commercial Interfaces
– Technical Service
– Documentation & Online Service

Dr Pierre Luzeau, Director of Rhodia Europe explained “Our efforts towards continuous improvement of our products and services were recognized; more than 92% of respondents thought that Rhodia Engineering Plastics had improved or stabilized its global position”.

Rhodia has focused on its customers’ needs, & decided to step up the change programs already initiated in four fields:

Service and product quality
In the last three years, Rhodia Engineering Plastics has fully implemented a Six Sigma approach, which aims to substantially reduce the variability of its different processes. Thanks to this strong corporate focus, consistency of finished products, lead time, and the reliability of our deliveries has been improved versus the previous year. Over 90% of the responses were positive. By the end of 2005, Rhodia is aiming at strengthening its successful Six Sigma program by launching additional initiatives: Improving the reliability of deliveries, decreasing lead-time, & providing new offers of small lot and coloured products.

Commercial Interfaces
A major improvement noticed by our Customers is our commercial service, with an average of 93 % of positive opinions. Customer relationships were ranked at the highest level.

Some testimonies from our Customers were:
– “Very Professional Commercial Department”
– “Open commercial attitude”
– “Excellent range of products, with technical and commercial back-up available”
– “Commercial and realistic attitude in front of the international context (rising prices)”

Technical Services
Despite an overall fair rating of this item, with more than 90% of positive feedback, customers are expecting us to be more present and pro-active in technical solutions and/or partnership proposals. To do this, we have established a corrective action plan, aiming at improving our technical service performance. This requires: the development of more systematic and proactive partnerships, improving competencies on customer’s unmet needs, creating a “Customer Technical Service Hotline”, definition of a technical competencies development program, & development of interactive web tools.

Documentation & Online Services
Rhodia feels today that its e-business programs have reached a mature stage, & allow the “industrialization” of its solutions to benefit the customer.
With ELEMICA and proprietary web based services SSOL (Sales and Services On-Line), Rhodia offers a complete range of services to save costs by improving the efficiency of Supply-Chain processes. This will reduce the error rate in B-to-B transactions by standardization; help to eliminate paper based processes, and facilitate faster accomplishment of tasks by using electronic tools. In 2004, SSOL represents about 200 M euros of Rhodia’s business transactions. ELEMICA is already implemented at 35 Key Account Customers at worldwide level.

Reader Enquiries :

Rhodia Polyamide
Avenue Ramboz
F-69192 Saint-Fons Cedex
France

Tel : +33 4 72 89 27 53
Fax : +33 4 72 89 27 35
Email : christine.bourguignon@eu.rhodia.com
Web : www.rhodia-ep.com
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Notes for Editors :
Rhodia Polyamide is a fully upstream integrated company providing intermediates for polyamide or polyurethane, polyamide polymers, as well as a complete downstream range of added value products including engineering plastics polyamides 6.6 and 6 based, industrial polyamide yarns, technical and consumer polyamide fibres and textiles to its customers on every continent. With than twenty state-of-the art production facilities along with R&D and technical centres, Rhodia Polyamide covers all major areas for polyamide consumption, with the capability to develop products and technologies locally.
Engineering Plastics is one of Rhodia Polyamide activities. For further details about Engineering Plastics’ activity, visit the website at www.rhodia-ep.com.
Rhodia is a global specialty chemicals company recognized for its strong technology positions in applications chemistry, specialty materials & services and fine chemicals. Partnering with major players in the automotive, electronics, fibers, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, consumer care, tires and paints & coatings markets, Rhodia offers tailor-made solutions combining original molecules and technologies to respond to customers’ needs. Rhodia subscribes to the principles of Sustainable Development communicating its commitments and performance openly with stakeholders. Rhodia generated net sales of euros5.3 billion in 2004 and employs 20,000 people worldwide. Rhodia is listed on the Paris and New York stock exchanges. For further details about the Group, visit Rhodia’s website at: www.rhodia.com.