Caterpillar Marine Power Systems has contracted Germanischer Lloyd (GL) to certify the Marine Service Assessments (MSA) of its worldwide marine dealer network. The network consists of independent companies which provide sales services, commercial and technical support, as well as maintenance and repair of
marine diesel engines and generator sets. Caterpillar(r) will use GL's MSA certification as the basis for standardising Caterpillar dealer after sales performance and quality worldwide in an effort to improve end-user satisfaction on a global scale. The MSA process was established by Caterpillar to assess and set annual product support related goals for their dealers. The need to standardize the service capabilities of its regional dealers globally quickly became a priority. GL was selected to conduct the certification due to it's worldwide auditor presence and its in-depth experience in second and third party audits. Germanischer Lloyd will conduct the MSA certification using standardised audit methods i.e. audit performed according to its own ship classification rules. Upon a successful Marine Service Assessment by GL, dealers will be given a GL-certificate as independent evidence demonstrating capabilities as measured using a global standard.
The objective of an independent assessment of the technical and commercial performance of the worldwide dealer network is to set a benchmark for Caterpillar's services centers and to establish a common standard of evaluation. Another objective of the certification program is to help identify areas for improvement in the scope of dealer services including functions such as: technical support, main shop repairs, field repairs, upgrades, parts sales, qualification oftechnical staff, back-up support, administration, disposition, customer satisfaction, and service and parts delivery time.