How did you end up working at SCHLEIFRING?
I started my first job after university at SCHLEIFRING. A friend told me that the company was looking for sales engineers – and here I am. [laughs]
At SCHLEIFRING you are responsible for: The sales group in the military sector. We are the first point of contact for all customers. We take care of the entire preparation of quotations.
What characterizes your profession?
The fantastic cooperation with the colleagues. And, above all, the enjoyment of facing new challenges on a daily basis. Every customer project is unique and has its own special technical requirements, which we want to fulfil.
How is the department in which you work structured?
They are a total of four teams that work together very closely: sales, project management, engineering and product qualification. Strictly speaking, it was our customers who gave rise to the departments: This type of close cooperation was created due to the numerous challenges that needed to be mastered collectively.
In your opinion, what makes the cooperation successful?
Everyone works together towards a common goal. We work together in an open but respectful manner and are allowed to speak our minds, even with regard to critical issues. The regular exchange of ideas and views is cultivated to ensure that everyone possesses the same information. That is extremely important and the basic prerequisite for good teamwork.
What has been your personal highlight to date?
Definitely the time spent at Schleifring North America near Boston from 2019 to 2021. SCHLEIFRING made that possible without any complications at all. We were asked who is interested in an exchange program – a day later we were sitting in the plane [laughs]. During my stay there I experienced a fantastic level of support, and the intercompany exchange program is still considered important and actively encouraged.
Since when have you been working for SCHLEIFRING? What insights have you gained so far?
I have been working for SCHLEIFRING since 2015. The varied interactions with a wide variety of cultures and also hierarchic levels make my everyday working life exciting. Besides comprehensive technical know-how, over the course of time I came to realize that communication tailored to the needs of the other party is also one of the most important factors in achieving a common goal. Especially for our complex products, it is important to familiarize oneself with the customer project and to ask the right questions in order to offer the ideal result – after all, no one knows our products as well as we do. We are a medium-sized company, and countless products variants for the military sector have taught us that it is necessary to remain flexible at all times and to acquire new knowledge.
How would you rate SCHLEIFRING as an employer?
Not only the working environment and the fantastic colleagues make SCHLEIFRING a special company. As a regional employer in an international environment, SCHLEIFRING continuously offers new opportunities for personal development. For me personally, that meant key account management, then project management, followed by my time in the USA, and now the role as head of sales. Due to the large range of possible applications, our niche product guarantees a secure workplace and on this basis creates space for new projects, challenges, and experiences.
And now a personal question to round things off: It is ten thirty on Saturday morning. What would you normally be doing?
Actually, there are only three possibilities: I would either be working out, preferably CrossFit, going for a long walk with my Goldendoodle, or fixing something in the house or on the car [laughs].