PSA: User needs and trends elicited

Whether it's a small or large company, no provider of personal protective equipment (PPE) can afford to ignore the safety officer. On behalf of Swiss Safety, the market research institute GfK Switzerland AG has therefore primarily taken a close look at the safety officer.

How does the SiBe inform himself?

Based on the trend analysis, it can be said - and this is probably surprising in the digital age - that the safety officer still uses catalogs and brochures to obtain information. In addition to the PPE providers themselves, they use official bodies such as the EKAS, Suva, trade associations and Seco to cover their information needs. According to the survey, the Internet is "merely" an important supplementary source of information for obtaining an overview. According to the trend analysis, some SiBes also obtain information from trade journals such as "Safety-Plus". Here, new technologies or evaluation reports are of particular interest. SiBes from larger companies use this source more frequently than smaller companies.

Trade shows are seen as increasingly less relevant. For the respondents, the relevance of such platforms has decreased; the added value of information is not always judged to be satisfactory. In addition, many lack the time to visit trade shows.

Only practical information

As with other safety applications, the SiBe wants practical information from PPE suppliers. The most beautiful brochure is of little use if the content is not understandable and comprehensible. The same applies to instructions: The best PPE is of little use if employees do not understand the specific instructions. Many of the respondents consider it important to be able to try out PPE products. Samples, field tests and demonstrations are mentioned.

What about purchasing behavior?

The main responsibility of the PPE management process often lies with purchasing/logistics, who have a great influence on purchasing decisions. These people select the dealers and the specific products of a manufacturer within the framework set by the SiBe. As in other areas, the same applies to PPE purchasing: the customer wants everything from a single source if possible. However, purchasing behavior is also influenced by another factor: the employees, who must be satisfied with the wearing comfort.

Only expert advice

Suppliers who want to sell their PPE need expert sales representatives. Potential users expect him to be a specialist consultant with extensive know-how and not a salesman. What they want is personal advice that takes into account company-specific conditions. In this respect, it is important for dealers to know the customer's company.

Foreign countries - the big competition?

The trend analysis concludes that there is little incentive to buy abroad in the short term (!). At present, the positive aspects of Swiss retailers predominate. After all, competent advice, proactive local services and good delivery conditions offer added value compared with lower prices abroad. It should be noted, however, that larger companies are generally less reluctant to buy abroad, because the financial aspect plays a greater role for large quantities.

Great need for training

In the medium term, there is a danger that companies will increasingly buy abroad and migrate to online-only stores for simple PPE. But the local PPE provider has a trump card in his hand, at least if he can offer training. According to trend research, these should take the following aspects into account:

• In general, PPE training should be company-specific and have a practical PPE focus. Internal or external training by manufacturers/distributors is of interest to the customer. However, practical, clearly understandable training material for in-house training is also appreciated.
• Especially smaller companies with part-time SiBes are interested in training or modules where points can be credited. This is seen as an advantage over Suva training, which is considered expensive and very time-consuming.

What trends?

Larger companies tend to be more open to trends and innovations. The respondents assume increasing digitization and networking - both in terms of products and processes. A networked PPE product has the advantage that it reacts immediately to critical situations, for example; it is connected to central control points and machines. In the area of processes, the respondents assume that PSA management processes will be optimized even more: for example, in the form of "Everything as a service". In other words, the PPE dealer will take care of everything - from inventory checks to logistics and maintenance. In this way, he relieves the burden on the company.

For quantitative PSA market potential analysis, has Swiss Safety a qualitative trend analysis (it does not have a representative character). The detailed study, which is subject to a charge, can be ordered from Swiss Safety, Martin Moos: m.moos@kmu.org