102 Business View - July 2015
According to NYAB’s website, “LEADER provides real-
time status information and coaching to assist the
locomotive engineer in making optimal train-handling
decisions. LEADER complements the locomotive engi-
neer’s skills by providing a comprehensive view of the
train’s behavior with real-time prompts to optimize the
train movement.” In plainer words, according to Con-
nell, the system, “help the railroads get from A to point
B with the least amount of fuel and the least amount
of damage.”
But even an industry leader like NYAB needs to com-
pete in the marketplace to get and retain customers.
Connell explains how: “Regardless of who we go up
against, we’re a company that competes through dif-
ferentiation. We try to prove the superiority of our prod-
ucts from a technical standpoint, from a performance
standpoint, a lifecycle standpoint, serviceability, train-
ing, and so forth, so there are certain attributes that
we pride our self as being superior.
“Also we’re fairly nimble; we can react to customer
needs fairly quickly, we give individualized attention,
customized service, and we’ve got a long history of do-
ing just that. A lot of our customers tend to be price-
focused, but if you can prove to them that what they’re
purchasing from you truly adds value to their opera-
tion, in terms of efficiency or safety, generally speak-
ing, they will tip their hat in your direction.”
Connell projects the company’s priorities over the near
future: “Over the next five years we’ll be focusing on
the operational improvements of our railroad custom-
ers. Over the past two years, in particular, we have
really re-focused on satisfying our customer needs
LOGISTICS
Jason Connell SVP Sales Marketing & Service, NYAB
