From August through October, Will Salmon, a key member of the SBA team, spent three months working closely with the Geith team at their global headquarters in Dublin. This experience provided valuable insight into Geith’s international operations, strengthened the working relationship between SBA and Geith, allowed focus on key design and product priorities for SBA market and improved communication and alignment across teams operating in different regions.
Overview of the Assignment
During his time in Dublin, Will collaborated with teams across customer service, sales, marketing, engineering, R&D, and supply chain. This hands-on exposure offered a comprehensive understanding of the processes that support Geith’s position as a global leader in couplers technology.With operations spanning Ireland, Europe, the UK, Asia, and the United States, Geith operates within a complex global environment. Being involved in the business allowed Will to better understand how external factors can directly impact sales forecasting, manufacturing decisions, and logistics planning. This experience deepened his understanding of their operational structure and highlighted the strong culture of cross-department collaboration within the Dublin office.
Key Projects and Contributions
Throughout the three months, Will supported a number of initiatives aimed at improving accuracy, efficiency, and alignment between teams.
- Customer Database Development: Working alongside the Sales and Marketing teams, Will helped expand and refine Geith’s customer database across Europe, the UK, and Asia. This ensured major OEM contacts were accurately captured, improved the ability to communicate product updates, service bulletins, stock availability and supported the identification of new sales opportunities.
- BOM (Bill of Materials) Reporting and Standardisation: Will reviewed Bills of Materials for the Quick Hitch and Tilt Hitch product lines, identifying duplicates and confirming material accuracy. This work improved BOM reliability, supported supply chain validation processes, and reduced inconsistencies that can impact material flow and order accuracy.
- Engineering and Supply Chain Insight: Through close collaboration with engineering and supply chain teams, Will gained a stronger understanding of Geith’s standardisation practices and global monitoring systems. A visit to Stauff, Geith’s hydraulic and control system supplier, also provided insight into specialised component manufacturing that operates outside traditional fabrication workflows. Having the Geith R and D facility close to the office allowed hands-on interaction and knowledge of a full range of products supported by the on-site design and product development team.
Industry Insights Gained
Spending time across different teams and markets highlighted several regional differences that influence product use and customer expectations:
- Tilt Rotator usage: Widely preferred throughout Northern Europe compared to Tilt Hitches even with the additional cost.
- UK excavation standards: Ground excavation commonly requires a service blade instead of teeth to minimise utility damage.
- Dedicated Hitches: In the US market, hitches without variable pin centres are more commonly used.
- Bucket variations: Bucket width and capacity standards differ significantly from country to country across Europe.
These insights are critical when aligning product design, manufacturing, and sales strategies across global markets.
Cultural and Operational Learnings
The Dublin team operates with a strong focus on structured planning, on-time delivery, and continuous improvement. Their integrated approach creates clarity, accountability, and consistency across projects.
Working locally also provided a deeper appreciation of the challenges involved in collaborating across time zones. Being on the ground helped strengthen relationships, improve communication efficiency, and build a clearer understanding of the Ireland team’s day-to-day operating environment—ultimately supporting better alignment on shared global goals. There is a clear process and culture of involving the field sales and service teams in all important facets of the business including SIOP (Majority of orders are now shipped from stock based on a finely tuned SIOP process with buy in from sales and all departments)
Beyond the Office
While the focus of the trip was collaborative and operational, several trips helped support relationship-building and provided additional context for the region.
These included:
- Joining the team for a sales visit to a Yanmar dealership in Northern Ireland
- Attending the National Ploughing and Equipment Championships
- Visiting the UK distribution centre in Liverpool
Furthermore, Will had plenty of opportunities to get around Dublin and enjoy what they have to offer. Some of his favourites were:
- Watching the Horse Races on the beach at Laytown
- Watching Kansas State take on Iowa State in the College Football at Aviva Stadium
- Checking out Leinster vs Munster in the Rugby at Croke Park
- And, of course, sampling more than a few Guinness at some of the world’s finest pubs.
The three months in Dublin strengthened the partnership between SBA and Geith and provided Will with valuable insight into global operations, regional market differences, and cross-team collaboration. These learnings will directly inform upcoming SBA projects and support continued alignment in the long-term partnership with Geith.
A big thank you to the team at Geith, what an amazing experience!
