Mister Schneider, what are your responsibilities as Head of Service?
First and foremost, I have the task of attending to the problems and concerns of our customers. This includes quick assistance in the event of a machine malfunction, as well as planning and executing regular maintenance assignments, and the spare parts business. I am supported in this by around 50 well-trained and committed employees. We have service technicians, master bakers and fitters who install new systems on the team.

What is your typical workday like?
In the service division, 80 percent of the day cannot be planned. It starts early in the morning, when I see the issues that have accumulated over night. Then you need to respond promptly and set priorities as to where which team has to be sent first. No two days are the same. That is exactly what I like about the Service division, because it never gets boring.

What are the prerequisites for this job?
Good communication skills are essential. This means addressing problems frankly when speaking with a customer and soundly reflecting the performances of the company. On an internal level, good communication motivates employees.

What is your next objective?
The better our internal processes are, the better and more efficient we can respond. For the benefit of our customers. We are currently reviewing our system infrastructure for appropriate potential and will optimize it further. Increased digitization will bring us many benefits.  More user-friendliness for the colleagues in the field, as well as more data, facts and figures for the back office, which improves our evaluation options.

Now a personal question: How do you like Dinkelsbühl?
I feel very much at home here. I was quite a challenge in the beginning, though. I come from the Ruhr district, and we all wear our heart on our sleeve there. In the beginning I was surprised to learn that some of my remarks were perceived as being brash. Meanwhile I know that the wording here in Franconia is more diplomatic.