Keeping our Customers Satisfied

The basis of our operations and the key to our success is our level of customer satisfaction. Borealis makes significant efforts to continually improve its products and services.

In a 2012 Townsend Solutions study among PE buyers, Borealis ranked number #1 in customer satisfaction on the overall PE level, giving proof of our continuous focus on customer satisfaction and services.

To understand how well we are meeting customer requirements Borealis has been participating since 2000 in a customer satisfaction survey carried out by Townsend Solutions, an independent market and consulting firm specializing in the plastics industry.  Every year, the consultancy invites major market players such as Borealis to participate in their Europe Customer Loyalty & Satisfaction Survey (CLASS).  For the 2012 study, 1514 PE customer interviews were conducted, representing approximately 60% of European PE market.

Survey results indicated Borealis ranked #1 in Overall Satisfaction on the overall PE level compared to the Top 9 European players.  In addition, results showed that Borealis is recognized as leader in product quality and innovation (rank #1 on Product Consistency and New Product Development). Participating PE buyers also reported that product consistency, availability of resin supply and competitive pricing attributes were most important to them among all of the attributes studied, and highlighted the increased importance of attributes related to pricing and credit terms in light of the European economic crisis.

Borealis is committed to understanding our customers’ needs and strives for continuous improvement.  The feedback received in the survey is very valuable for us, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers for taking the time to participate, and for sharing their comments and suggestions.

Commitment to quality leadership

Borealis' commitment to quality leadership has been reinforced by the creation of our quality policy that has been implemented company-wide. The policy stipulates that:

• Quality and customer satisfaction are the responsibility of all employees
• We achieve customer satisfaction through efficient business and manufacturing processes, managed and executed by competent people with the right attitude and behaviour promoting our zero defects mindset
• We improve continuously and seek nimble solutions in order to fulfil the customer's future needs
• Whenever we fail to satisfy customer expectations we do our utmost to recover customer confidence and to avoid that the problem occurs again

In order to measure the level of our customer satisfaction, we regularly conduct customer surveys and participate in independent benchmarking studies. The surveys are valuable sources of information as they show what is important to our customers and suggest where and what we need to improve.  We have learned through these surveys that the deliverables of our basic products and services are what matters most to our customers.

The surveys also reveal that what a customer values most is:

• Consistent products
• Reliable order and delivery processes
• Prompt response to customer complaints
• Correct what has gone wrong

Bridging the gap between our operations and our customers 

For each product, Borealis has assigned a dedicated Product Owner who:

• acts as the customers' voice to our manufacturing plants,
• communicates market requirements,
• secures that specifications and controls are established.

The product owners continuously review product performance through the use of statistical methods and propose improvements.

The results of these performance reviews, as well as proposed imporvements, are discussed and decided in cross functional Customer Support Teams (CST). CSTs are established in each manufacturing plant and consist of key players along the supply chain. The teams have clear improvement targets and projects that are monitored carefully. Specific problems are also addressed by these teams as they play a key role in handling customer complaints.

Complaint handling time has been consistently improved over the last years. Our main target, however, is to reduce the number of defects that lead to complaints. We see each complaint as an opportunity to learn and implement lasting corrective actions.