  |
A few weeks ago we shared some before-and-after pictures of Polywater's new PowerPatch Pad N Pole Repair. This week we add a twist: "After" and "After the After" photos from a separate field trial. Local agent and leading Pad N Pole champion Ben Elsenpeter of Upper Midwest Utility Sales had introduced the new sealant to yet another utility customer with pad damage. The demonstration went fine and the top photo was taken of a fresh (and freshly painted) Pad N Pole repair--the "After." But the next day the utility customer emailed an update with the bottom photo--the "After the After": "Yesterday we went back to inspect the fiberglass repair kit that was applied to a couple of our transformer basements. Two of the repairs came out great, but one not so well. The failed repair looks like we didn't even apply the fabric, because the fabric is split along the rounded piece of the basement. The fiberglass looks like it expanded from the back side and tore. In addition you can see a lot of white fiberglass showing through. I examined the area to see if the basement was hit by a mower or something, but the grass around the area is still high except for the area next to the transformer. I'm not sure if we applied the product wrong or if we received defective product. The defective repair was the one that our crews applied after Ben did the demonstration on the other side. The second repair that our crews did looks good, so I am not sure what went wrong on the one repair. Let me know how we should proceed." Unbeknownst to all parties attending the pad sealing demonstration, there was a very determined gopher hiding silently inside the transformer pad. He wisely made his move--now known in the gopher community as The Great Escape--shortly after the seal was applied and before it was cured to full strength. Newbie Robb Ziegler and Polywater sealant expert Mark Hull returned to the site to personally inspect the anomaly. Mark reports, "Robb and I visited a couple of days later and could see pretty clearly that the damage was caused by a critter escaping through the repair. We could see the chewing on the inside as we did our examination. We re-did the repair, laying down two layers over the sizeable hole, and met with the customer to explain what happened. They appreciated the visit and the explanation, and the visit resulted in Robb's first sale with APC." It's hard to decide who benefited the most from this problem-turned-opportunity. Ben saved face in front of a customer. Mark restored the reputation and performance of his invention. Robb proved he's a salesperson. The customer solved a problem. Polywater turned a profit. And the gopher survived and is living large with the ladies. We're going to call this a win-win-win-win-win-win situation. |
