IN THE DOCK
Scott Lane, vice president for port services, Americas at Konecranes, talks us through a storied career at Konecranes – and shares an update on the company’s plans for US manufacturing of port cranes.
A COMPANY MAN S
cott Lane has spent more than a quarter of a century at Konecranes, rising through the ranks to become
its vice president of port services for the Americas region. In a good showing for climbing the corporate ladder and being loyal to the company that invested in him, he started first as a technician in 1999, before becoming branch manager and then key account manager. He took up the vice president role in 2013. “In each role that I have had, I wanted to
be an expert; that is the passion and drive within me,” he says. “As a technician, my biggest fear was letting the customer down, so I learned everything I possibly could about our products – then I knew for sure I could help them.
“Once I felt confident handling any callout, I moved into learning more about other areas of our business. I also had many fantastic mentors throughout my career, at every level. Whenever you move into a new business segment it is like starting over. My first step in every role was always to spend time in the field. I find that is the best way to learn our customers’ business as well as learning about our technology and its applications. From there you can understand how to truly build value for your clients.”
Culture fit So what has kept him at Konecranes for so long? Well, according to Lane, it’s the culture. “It is really the people that I get to work with side by side. It is the greatest strength we have. Secondly, it is the business philosophy of training and promoting from within. It keeps work new and exciting – after 26 years, I wouldn’t be happy doing the same job for that long, in any industry or in any company. They are really good at opening up avenues and doors for future professional growth.”
That growth has meant swapping his
tools for an office. “My friends and I talk about that a lot as we have progressed from our early 20s – that instant gratification you got when the customer patted you on the back and said, ‘great job, we couldn’t have done this without you!’. Now, it is more of a longer-term projection; you are talking about annual plans.
“Some people get a lot of fulfilment out of hitting a KPI. My gratification comes from feeling that I have done right by my clients but more so from taking care of my team and celebrating their successes with them, large and small. That is a big part our culture here.” There is one word that defines what Lane looks for in his colleagues: passion. “Success is far more likely if you are genuinely passionate about your products, your team and your customers. Understanding their businesses intimately then enables you to react quickly to provide a value-add solution. We are not just selling stuff; we are looking at understanding how their business operates.” He points out that this is not easy. “It sounds simple, but it is not simplistic at all. The time and effort required to really understand each customer’s unique situation is a significant resource investment. But if you do that well, you will be successful. Konecranes gives us all the opportunity to take that time to really understand what every customer needs.” As his career has progressed, that knowledge base has only grown further. “Understanding the full chain within a customer is important. That means truly understanding and knowing what a maintenance person at a plant or terminal has to go through and then adding to that as you move up the chain – what does the maintenance manager value, what does procurement value, what does the CFO
Scott Lane, vice president for port services, Americas, Konecranes.
value? We build an overarching vision and that brings real value to an organisation.”
US manufacturing back on the cards The port crane segment is highly competitive, and this has been compounded by import tariffs. However, Konecranes is already developing a US-based supply chain. “Depending on a limited number of countries is risky. Long supply chains have their vulnerabilities.” The company’s industrial cranes division
already manufactures some components and cranes in North America. “We can leverage that,” he adds. “Within port solutions, we have been building a network of sub-contractors and partners to enable us to manufacture in the US.” In terms of US manufacturing port cranes, he says negotiations with potential suppliers are ongoing.
Could domestic manufacturing give
Konecranes a competitive advantage? “It has opened doors for us that were previously closed
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