Advertorial: SERVICEABILITY

Many companies in the pest management industry talk about delivering world-class sales, support and service to their clients. But what exactly does world-class mean and does it have value for the client and their customers?

While BASF’s approach in the pest management industry encompasses all three of these “S” points, it has taken particular interest in service and the “serviceability” of its chemistry and people to stand head and shoulders above the competition.

What is serviceability? For BASF it is combining industry leading, proven chemistry and expertise from its team of entomologists and technical and sales representatives. This team is committed to helping clients not only select the correct product but to identify the best way to apply and market the product to produce the desired results — eliminating the target pest and satisfying customers.

“At BASF we create chemistry and that chemistry is interacting with customers and providing them with the tools and knowledge to help them be more successful,” says Brian DeChirico, sales specialist for BASF in southern Georgia and northern Florida.

As the pest management needs of BASF’s customers and their clients evolve, chemistry — both the product inside the bottle and the relationship between customers, consumers and manufacturers — will be critical for the successful development and application of pest control products that protect food, property and public health.

To measure the success of its chemistry BASF has stepped outside of the laboratory and empowered its sales and technical team to serve as valuable resources and expert sounding boards for pest management professionals seeking solutions to today’s pest infestations in commercial and residential accounts.

When it comes to eliminating termites there is one brand pest management professionals recognize as being the brand — Termidor^®. Since its introduction to the market, no termite product has gained greater acceptance and universal respect for its ability to eliminate termite colonies that threaten structures.

And while BASF could have rested on its laurels, it chose to innovate and expand the Termidor line to include Termidor^® HE High-Efficiency Termiticide, Trelona^® ATBS (Advance^® Termite Bait System) and Termidor^® HP High Precision Injection System.

The Termidor family offers pest management professionals tremendous serviceability that translates into increased business efficiency, lower operating costs and continued high levels of customer satisfaction.

Turner Pest Control in Jacksonville, Florida, recently felt the positive impact of BASF’s commitment to serviceability when it was asked to submit a bid to eliminate a stubborn Formosan termite infestation from a commercial structure that was being converted into a mixed-use facility.

When Turner President Mark Slater’s termite crew arrived at the site to inspect the structure and surrounding property, they soon realized it was not your run-of-the-mill termite infestation. The pressure from the aggressive Formosan termite infestation was intense and Slater realized he needed back up to tackle the job.

“We have seen a spike in Formosan activity in the Jacksonville area and treating for Formosan termites is not as simple as going in, treating one time and you are done,” said Slater. “You need a multitude of solutions to control and eliminate the threat.”

Slater’s first call was to DeChirico to come out and provide a second set of eyes to the infestation, examining every angle possible to come up with a creative solution.

“We did a top to bottom inspection of the structure which had some very unique and challenging construction practices that needed to be factored into the solution,” said DeChirico. “Due to the strength of the infestation and damage present we brought the entire Termidor product line to the table for a full inside and out treatment.”

Turner technicians performed a full trench treatment in the interior, drilling into the slab and floating sub-slab using Termidor^® SC Termitice/Insecticide. They also applied Termidor^® Dry Termiticide to the trees and exposed interior wood, including wall and roof joists where termite activity had been spotted.

Around the exterior of the structure they used the Termidor HP system, which features a precision injection machine that allows technicians to deliver the benefits of a complete barrier treatment in less time.

“Turner Pest Control has been an early adopter of the Termidor HP system, which offers greater efficiencies and is less intrusive than traditional termite barrier treatments,” said DeChirico. “Technicians can extend the distance between drill holes (18 inches versus 12 inches) and that translates into 33 percent less drilling and water usage. It also saves technicians time when mixing and filling the tank, yet still delivers the desired result.”

Termidor HP fills a unique niche in the termite barrier treatment market and is designed for consumers who don’t want their landscape disturbed and/or are concerned about exposure to chemicals.

“The Termidor HP system allows us to perform more treatments, but to do them right without rushing,” said Slater. “It gets the product where it needs to be in a structure, no matter how complex the construction, and fits perfectly into our termite protocols.”

DeChirico added that the Termidor HP system provides PMPs with greater operational efficiencies and time savings, which can translate into monetary savings. And consumers get the best of both worlds — the trusted name and performance of Termidor and a lower environmental impact.

The support system BASF has created with Termidor HP includes customer support hot-lines, data management services that account for every injection of product that is applied and the backing of BASF technical field experts who are just a phone call or email away.

And due to the severity of the infestation in that community, Turner technicians deployed Trelona ATBS bait stations around the property’s exterior to monitor and provide another layer of colony elimination.

“There is a tool in the Termidor product family for virtually every possible termite scenario a pest management professional may face,” said DeChirico.