From Insurance to Shape-up Program
About a year ago, Heidelberg consolidated its entire service
portfolio under a separate division. Heidelberg News spoke to the
Management Board member responsible for Heidelberg Services, Marcel
Kießling, about what has happened since then, the advantages
of Heidelberg Services for the customer, and the new services that
can be expected in the near future.
Mr. Kießling, you became head of the new "Heidelberg Services" division on January 1, 2010. What goals did you set yourself then?
Marcel Kießling: There were two main strategic approaches. First, we wanted to realign our entire service portfolio to make it as efficient as possible for our customers and, above all, to maximize the benefits for them. We also wanted to expand our services business to make us less "susceptible" to the economic fluctuations in the mechanical engineering sector.
Did the crisis not throw a monkey wrench in the project from the start? The service sector is personnel-intensive, and Heidelberg has had to make several rounds of personnel cutbacks...
Kießling: That was sadly unavoidable. However, the adjustments made in the services sector were relatively moderate. With more than 4,000 Systemservice employees worldwide, our customers still have access to the densest service network in the industry. And by establishing a separate Heidelberg Services division, we have created the ideal conditions for ensuring the best possible service portfolio for our customers. We were not only able to maintain our service level, we even improved it.
How did you improve your service level?
Kießling: When it comes to "services," the printing industry traditionally thinks of technical services. With good cause. My production operations can only be profitable if I have a high-performance print shop that is absolutely reliable around the clock, even when running at full capacity. But even if production is perfectly stable, long-term success is no longer guaranteed in the increasingly industrialized global printing market. Competition is becoming more and more international. Pressure on margins is growing. At the same time, the market is also calling for Web-to-print solutions or "green" production. If I want to succeed in this environment, I have to minimize my costs, increase my productivity and adjust all my processes to this end. At the end of the day, I have to make all my operations as effective and efficient as possible, not "just" the machine park. That's why our portfolio now extends well beyond technical services. With our additional training and advisory services, we can help our customers improve efficiency throughout their entire company.
Mr. Kießling, you became head of the new "Heidelberg Services" division on January 1, 2010. What goals did you set yourself then?
Marcel Kießling: There were two main strategic approaches. First, we wanted to realign our entire service portfolio to make it as efficient as possible for our customers and, above all, to maximize the benefits for them. We also wanted to expand our services business to make us less "susceptible" to the economic fluctuations in the mechanical engineering sector.
Did the crisis not throw a monkey wrench in the project from the start? The service sector is personnel-intensive, and Heidelberg has had to make several rounds of personnel cutbacks...
Kießling: That was sadly unavoidable. However, the adjustments made in the services sector were relatively moderate. With more than 4,000 Systemservice employees worldwide, our customers still have access to the densest service network in the industry. And by establishing a separate Heidelberg Services division, we have created the ideal conditions for ensuring the best possible service portfolio for our customers. We were not only able to maintain our service level, we even improved it.
How did you improve your service level?
Kießling: When it comes to "services," the printing industry traditionally thinks of technical services. With good cause. My production operations can only be profitable if I have a high-performance print shop that is absolutely reliable around the clock, even when running at full capacity. But even if production is perfectly stable, long-term success is no longer guaranteed in the increasingly industrialized global printing market. Competition is becoming more and more international. Pressure on margins is growing. At the same time, the market is also calling for Web-to-print solutions or "green" production. If I want to succeed in this environment, I have to minimize my costs, increase my productivity and adjust all my processes to this end. At the end of the day, I have to make all my operations as effective and efficient as possible, not "just" the machine park. That's why our portfolio now extends well beyond technical services. With our additional training and advisory services, we can help our customers improve efficiency throughout their entire company.
