In this Rexfab Experts interview, Kaven Croft, System Engineering Director, explains how collaboration, system-wide thinking, and hands-on expertise help turn operational needs into flexible, reliable solutions built for long-term value.

– What makes us different is our expertise –

1. How do you approach the process of understanding the customer’s needs?

To properly understand a customer’s needs, you first have to put yourself in their shoes: understand their day-to-day pain points, the factors that affect their competitiveness, and what limits their growth. It sounds simple, but most of the time, you need to speak with several people to get a true picture of all the company’s functions and, above all, the real issues. This is how we approach every project. During meetings, if all the key stakeholders are not at the table, we make a point of asking the right questions to build the complete picture. The earlier we capture the voice of operations in the process, the faster we converge on the right solution and move into execution.

Then it is up to us to translate those needs into technical specifications and propose solutions that make sense for the customer. We operate in a constantly changing world, where product offerings must be varied and single-product production is becoming increasingly rare, so we like to propose modular solutions that can evolve in phases.

For example, at the start of a project, we make a point of analyzing the facility layout beyond the specific area requested. We look at the entire production operation, the obsolescence of existing equipment, and the areas where issues could arise. This allows us to propose a better solution while also planning for the future. The goal is to provide an integrated proposal tailored to the customer.

For us, a customer is first and foremost a partner. We build our relationships on mutual trust and transparent communication. We are able to have candid conversations, work together, and move in the same direction. During solution ideation, we stay in close collaboration with the customer so we can converge on the solution that is best suited to their needs.

One important challenge in large companies is that profitability objectives can differ between commercial teams and operations. Too often, when a project is awarded, operations teams have told us that the proposed solution did not truly meet their needs. Every concept also has limitations directly related to the project constraints. If we do not have input from all stakeholders, the solution will not be optimal. Considering the long service life of this equipment, often 10 to 20 years, the impact of the solution is significant. By involving everyone, we can minimize those impacts, ensure stronger production capacity, preserve flexibility, and make the solution easier to maintain over time.

2. What are the 3 main things you do to work with customers during the design process?

Rexfab is committed to the entire solution, whether it is made up entirely of Rexfab equipment or also integrates equipment from our partners. We select our partnerships carefully based on equipment quality, the professional relationship, and mutual respect. We know that a well-integrated solution requires everyone involved to be at the table and engaged from the outset. For that reason, and to avoid surprises, we prioritize this approach early in the design process.

Recently, a customer contacted us to integrate a new piece of equipment into a very compact production line. From the outset, we all met on site to agree on the solution best suited to the needs of production and maintenance. We then held weekly meetings throughout the project to keep the teams aligned. For us, it is not only a matter of responsibility: the solution has to perform effectively as a whole. Since the performance of a system often depends on its weakest link, it is our responsibility to ensure that it operates properly and to deliver a quality system.

One thing I make a point of doing, as we get closer to the desired solution, is ensuring that anyone who has an impact on the solution fully understands the project, the problem to be solved, and the main potential challenges. This allows us to improve the project earlier in the process and accelerate the work that follows.

By breaking down silos, we become smarter collectively, we see farther ahead, and we can anticipate more effectively. By the very nature of the system engineering group, we are cross-functional: we are involved throughout the entire process, from sales through validation. This advantage allows us to repeat what works and adjust our processes or solutions when necessary. We challenge assumptions so we can improve and deliver more value, faster and at a lower cost. During our team meetings, we review new systems being quoted to identify technical challenges and accelerate the pre-engineering phase.

Every bakery is different, and every customer has its own way of operating. That is why we develop flexible, modular equipment that can adapt to different realities. Our goal is to offer solutions that are competitive, high-performing, and durable, while retaining the flexibility needed to meet each customer’s specific requirements.

3. How do you ensure that customers get real value from their investment?

Rexfab provides equipment, but the real added value comes from the people behind those solutions: their knowledge, their experience, and their ability to understand the applications. The more different applications we see, the better we understand how products behave. Since products are rarely identical, we constantly have to make small adjustments to our solutions. This is not always visible to the customer, but it makes all the difference between an average solution and a truly optimized one.

This expertise allows Rexfab to propose integrated solutions and consider the bakery as a whole in order to identify where issues could arise. We do not simply offer individual pieces of equipment; we offer a comprehensive solution designed to integrate effectively into the customer’s real-world operation.

At Rexfab, we focus on understanding our products and a constantly evolving market so we can provide exactly what our customers will need to support their growth.

4. What do you do when problems arise to support the customer?

For us, there is no such thing as a small project or a small issue. Every customer, every challenge, and every detail deserves our full attention and commitment. Mistakes are part of any process, and what matters most is openly acknowledging what did not work. I prefer to work with people who take initiative, know how to own their mistakes, and, above all, learn from them. Every challenge then becomes an opportunity to learn, improve, and make our equipment, working methods, and internal processes better.

No one likes making a mistake, especially when it can have an impact on a customer. When a problem arises, our priority is to act quickly with the customer to limit the impact on their production. For us, it is not only the service team that mobilizes, but the entire organization. The project manager, installation teams, engineering, fabrication, and even assembly all ask the same question: “What actually happened, and how do we prevent it from happening again?” Solutions can come from anywhere, and it is this collaboration that allows us to keep improving.