Roland DG Hosts Worldwide Contest for Its Service Engineers

Hamamatsu, Japan, February 2, 2015 – Roland DG Corporation, a leading manufacturer of advanced digital tools, announced a worldwide competition for its service engineers (SEs). One SE will be crowned champion of the Global SE Awards* from among their peers based upon a demonstration of their knowledge and skills. The finals of the contest will be held at Roland DG's Hamamatsu headquarters in October 2015 following local competitions beginning Spring 2015.

Roland DG service engineers are engaged in the repair and maintenance of all Roland DG products, including wide-format inkjet printers and printer/cutters, vinyl cutters, engravers, milling machines, and 3D printers. The goal of the Global SE Awards, according to Takaaki Koshita, Roland DG general manager of technical services, is to raise the quality and uniformity of maintenance services provided by Roland DG service personnel to the highest levels worldwide.

With sales offices located around the world, Roland DG has built a comprehensive customer support system consisting of Roland DG Creative Centers, Roland DG Academy, and Roland DG Care to contribute to the development of its customers' businesses. Creative Centers offer a creative showcase of application samples to inspire the imagination, and invite customers to experience the full potential of our products. Customers can easily share ideas and consult with us about ways to grow their businesses as well as solutions that can transform their ideas into reality. Academy offers seminars and workshops to our customers worldwide, designed to help them utilize our equipment and software to the maximum potential and acquire the skills they need for their businesses. Care provides a broad range of customer services and support including maintenance and troubleshooting to ensure that there are no obstacles preventing the work from getting done.

Ultimately, Koshita said, the contest is about creating increased peace of mind for Roland DG customers. "This competition aims to help SEs who work on the front line to improve their skills by learning from each other, as well as increasing their personal pride and motivation," he said. "We would like to combine this objective with our desire to improve the service quality of the entire Roland DG Group, and to assist with the growth of our customers' businesses. I hope that through this competition we will be able to see growth in SEs from all parts of the world."

Yannig Van de Wouwer, from Belgium, earned the title of Champion at the 2013 global competition and claims it helped him acquire even higher skills and knowledge. "I acquired the understanding necessary to improve the quality of my own work," Wouwer said. "My customers now expect an even higher level of service than they did before. Every day, I try my best to live up to the expectations of customers who are proud to be served by a global champion."

*About the Global SE Awards

The SE Awards began in 2008 for SEs residing in Japan. In 2013, the competition was opened up to SEs worldwide. Twenty elite SEs selected from around the world gathered at the company's Hamamatsu HQ to compete for the world championship title by demonstrating the abilities and knowledge cultivated in their daily work through problem-solving trials and written exams.

All Roland DG Care Certified Service Engineers are eligible to take part in the Global SE Awards competition. In order to ensure its customers receive the same high-quality service and support worldwide, Roland DG offers a rigorous training and certification program for its service engineers. Certified SEs receive in-depth training on how Roland DG products are built, how to carry out product installation, repairs, inspections and maintenance, and have passed both practical and written exams proving that they possess appropriate knowledge and skills.

For more information, contact:

Nami Shiokawa
+81 (0)53-484-1201
E-Mail：rdg-globalpr@rolanddg.co.jp