Jovica Mihajilo, Manager of Service Division for Alfa Laval for Southeast Europe: Understanding the needs and desires of customers is the most important thing

Jovica Mihajilo, Manager of the Service Division for Alfa Laval for Southeast Europe, graduated in Food Safety and Quality Management.

Already during his studies, he started working for a leading multinational beverage company, where he gained extensive experience working on process improvement and maintenance as a process engineer.

As a person who loves challenges, he decided to try his hand at a different business profile and joined Alfa Laval in 2017 as a sales engineer.

Today, more than a decade after the beginning of his professional journey, he is happy to be able to combine an understanding of production work, knowledge of industrial solutions and a passion for working in a multinational environment.

This is confirmed by his position as a strategically important manager at Alfa Laval.

Jovica Mihajilo reveals for eKapija what the formula for success in the company and sector that he leads is.

What activities does the Alfa Laval service include?

– At Alfa Laval, every service is based on four key value pillars - productivity, cost reduction, environmental impact reduction and regulatory compliance. We take a holistic approach that delivers measurable benefits throughout the entire equipment life cycle, from pre-commissioning to refurbishment.

What does the process involve?

– It starts with exploration - discovering opportunities: through assessments and monitoring, we advise you on defining an operational and maintenance strategy, ensuring optimal performance and long-term reliability. Then the start - preparing and commissioning: we ensure efficient and safe start-up and help you achieve expected performance through commissioning and installation.

Next is use - reliable operations: Achieve peak performance through training and proactive maintenance, maximizing uptime and production efficiency.

Then optimize - unlocking maximum performance: Deliver lower operating costs and higher uptime in the most sustainable way, moving from current performance to the expected level of stability and efficiency.

Finally, renewal - an easier transition: By proactively planning and managing the transition of the equipment life cycle, we achieve long-term operational efficiency through cost-effective and sustainable circularity.

How do you maintain effective communication with customers to successfully do your job?

– Although we offer top-notch solutions and our customers have very complex production processes - the key is people. The most important thing is to listen to our people and our customers to understand their needs and expectations, and then, after alignment, work together to achieve common goals, which are: a satisfied customer, working equipment and our people filled with pride.

How are your colleagues trained in the specific procedures related to servicing Alfa Laval equipment?

– We provide solutions for many different industries and positions, which is challenging, but more than 140 years of technical experience and innovative service solutions guarantee that the knowledge is present in the company. In addition, we have a special training program for our service engineers that covers their development from day one in the company and supports their professional and personal development.

We are also proud of the knowledge and experience sharing of our dedicated group of professionals present in five countries in the region, some of whom have over 20 years of experience in the company. Their expertise and commitment are the foundation of the support we provide.

How does service support affect the efficiency and longevity of Alfa Laval equipment?

– I believe that our holistic approach to service brings measurable benefits throughout the entire life cycle of the equipment. By taking care of the equipment at every stage, we ensure that it works for decades. We even offer solutions to upgrade older generations of our equipment to be more efficient and have a lower environmental impact.

How do you see the development of service support in the coming years?

– Service is changing and evolving rapidly, especially with the development of AI solutions, and these changes are happening with customers, in available solutions, and with us. Customers are increasingly focused on reducing downtime and environmental impact, more willing to entrust the care of their equipment to us.

Solutions are getting better every day as diagnostic and repair technologies evolve, and with the help of AI, we understand and react better and faster.

I am proud that Alfa Laval keeps up with this pace using state-of-the-art sensors, software and algorithms (e.g. ConditionAlert, Albot, Service Copilot).

Our monitoring services provide clear insight into the operational status of equipment, allowing us to take timely and informed actions to avoid costly downtime, while increasing productivity and saving energy.

Ogranak Alfa Laval d.o.o. Beograd

Alfa Laval

Service Division

Jovica Mihajilo

service

artificial intelligence