MEIKO holds an important place in my life
What was your path to MEIKO?
I first encountered MEIKO 11 years before I started working here. In 1981, just before I did my final school exams, I had a holiday job at an office supplies company and MEIKO was a customer, as well as one of Offenburg's biggest employers. After working in the car industry for a few years, I applied to MEIKO in 1992. In April 2022, I celebrated 30 years of service at MEIKO.
What is your role?
I am Head of Department at the MEIKO Academy for MEIKO Deutschland GmbH, which makes me part of the global MEIKO Academy team. We train distributors, sales partners, specialist dealers and our own employees all over the world. Our range of training programmes is incredibly varied. At the German site, I train salespeople in our warewashing technology. Of course, we also have a technical service department who trains service technicians. We even run training courses that do not directly relate to MEIKO, such as HACCP courses.
Let's talk about experiences that have changed your job. What have they been?
Well, to be in sales is to be in the business of people. By that, I mean that sales depends largely on the salesperson's personality. People do business. Of course, the technology has to be appropriate and go on to prove itself in the real world. In my experience, the most effective approach is not only to talk about the product but also to listen to the customer. We are learning every day and our job is to optimise the benefits that our customers experience.
If I go to a trade show, for example, and present a new machine, I always catch myself going on about our products too much. A smarter approach is to listen better to the people I talk with. If I focus in on the customers' needs and then tailor a solution that I can offer to them.
But listening has to be learnt.
Listening will tell you, for example, that ergonomics is a key factor. After all, workers stand in the dishwashing area all day operating the machine and they know what the negative impacts are if it is not possible to work in an ergonomic way. Work is significantly impeded by lifting heavy loads, combined with bending and twisting movements or high levels of humidity when machines emanate heat and steam into the workspace. When you consider that around 1/3 of all work-related illnesses affect the musculoskeletal system, it is clear that ergonomic working is a key factor for health and for financial success. People are at the heart of everything. That means that machines should be adapted to people – not vice versa!
What is your motivation after 30 years at MEIKO?
Still my original idea and desire that I had as a young man: to enthuse people about the things that enthuse me. I used to want to be a teacher. But these days, it is MEIKO products that inspire me. It is our job to pass on that enthusiasm to our customers on a daily basis. That is why I feel like I have found the right place for me as a MEIKO Academy trainer.
What have been the most significant changes in the company between 1992 and 2022?
New internal structures have been created in that time: key account management has been introduced and we have seen the strategic expansion of the architecture in place for our specialist dealer partnerships. Then there was customer-specific segmenting that changed our approach to specific target markets like hospitals, care homes, food service, food service chains, hotels and even bakeries and butchers.
What is your MEIKO story at the point of the company's 95th anniversary? ‘How did you do it?’
How did we do it? Well, together, of course! And, for my part, I can truly say that I love my job. So I have often mixed professional and personal life. I never go to a restaurant without taking a look behind the bar. And I get a sense of belonging to a family here. 20 years ago, we celebrated MEIKO's 75th anniversary and my daughter, who was 10 at the time, had the opportunity to welcome our guests in the Oberrheinhalle. She walked about 50 m to the stage ringing a literal bell to ring in our anniversary celebrations and welcomed the guests like a pro. I was so proud.
MEIKO holds an important place in my life
What place does MEIKO have in your life?
A big one! I was once on holiday with my wife and we were sitting on a ski lift somewhere in the Bavarian mountains when my phone rang. A dealer was in conversation and needed some quick help with sales points. I gave him several pointers and we finished talking before we reached the terminus at the top of the mountain. The dealer has never forgotten that moment – and neither has my wife! To this day, I am good friends with that dealer. And I'm still married to my wife...
Do you have a favorite MEIKO machine?
Yes, it was the old MEIKO DV 80.2 – our best machine at the time and superstar among hood type dishwashing machines. Of course, since then, the successor models have been very successful.
For what problems of the future could MEIKO develop a solution?
We need to keep pushing forward technological developments that help to conserve our most precious natural resources: water, energy and, of course, the environment.
What do you wish MEIKO for its birthday?
My wish for MEIKO is that we continue to be a healthy, innovative company that is modern and attractive to our customers all over the world. May we always be a reliable partner – yesterday, today and into the future.