Company News Apr 8, 2019 11:00 AM
"The customer is what drives us"
thyssenkrupp Infrastructure GmbH is one of the world's leading suppliers of civil, marine, foundation and structural engineering equipment. It is in the midst of a transformation process toward becoming even more efficient for its customers. What this means and what goals are being pursued, is explained by CEO Dietmar Jürges in an interview.
Mr. Jürges, you have been managing thyssenkrupp Infrastructure GmbH for almost three years now. What is your assessment so far?
We are satisfied with the development of our financial situation and have been able to further develop our product lines for the benefit of our customers. The consistent implementation of our supply chain management is very important in order to serve our customers even better. Yet our transformation process is not yet complete and we will continue to work on becoming even more efficient for our partners.
You are talking about the product lines. What are these and what customers are you addressing with them?
Our portfolio is divided into four units: Steel Sections, consisting of piling sections, Anchor Equipment and Flood Protection, Machinery, Trench Shoring and Scaffolding Systems. We see ourselves as a one-stop supplier for our customers. At the beginning, there is always a comprehensive and intensive consultation and in the course of a continuous exchange of ideas we develop tailor-made solutions to meet customer needs.
For the realization of the projects, we provide our clients from the construction and machine industry with all the products they need. Most of these are sourced from our own production, such as Müller pile driving and extraction equipment. In addition, we exclusively distribute trench shoring systems made by e+s and krings. The basis for this is our worldwide network, through which we are represented wherever our customers need us.
And what does supply chain management mean for you in this context?
It means that our customers get the desired products and solutions exactly when they need them. The big advantage of this is that they are getting an individual package tailored to their needs. This applies to all our units and ranges from sheet piling to anchoring equipment, sections, vibrators and pile driving equipment. We call this "Materials and Machinery as a Service".
...and what does that mean in concrete terms?
"Materials and Machinery as a Service" means for us that we are fully focused on the needs of our customers. One important hallmark is that our customers can decide whether they want to buy or rent our products. This allows more leeway and flexibility. In addition, the aspects of consulting and maintenance of machines are very important. A good example is our RTG pile driving equipment, which we will also be showing on our stand at bauma. We are exclusive dealers in Germany, Austria and Denmark and take over the complete engineering consultation, delivery, as well as the maintenance of the machines for our customers who then only have to decide what is the best solution for themselves and we take care of the rest.
That sounds like clear positioning. How would you summarize your thoughts?
We clearly position ourselves as a full-service partner for the end customer. One of our greatest advantages over our competitors is that we can offer integrated solutions from a single source. Single source spells: Our range of services includes new and used products, rental, materials processing, on-site instruction, maintenance and replacement as well as service. We recognize the needs of our customers and set ourselves apart from pure dealers or agents. Our goal is to further expand our position as a competent partner for infrastructure projects with many years of experience and high consulting competence worldwide. The customer is what drives us.
Thank you very much for the interview!