Staying on course
Whether mechanical engineers, tool manufacturers or automotive suppliers – many companies have coped well with the crisis so far. Pragmatic improvisation with digital means was and still is the order of the day. […]
Bergische Wirtschaft, March 2021
Positive turnaround
According to Dr. Andreas Groß, the German supplier industry and mechanical engineering sector have functioned quite well so far – “even under the most difficult conditions,” says the managing partner of Heinz Berger Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co KG in Wuppertal. His own company, a manufacturer of grinding machines and robot solutions, was affected by corona in two ways. Firstly, through the disease itself: “We had a number of infections in our own ranks last year,” reports the entrepreneur. Fortunately, there were only mild symptoms. To be on the safe side, the machine factory sent around 30 of its 160 employees into quarantine for up to two weeks. Work had to be postponed. An important supplier was hit much harder. “Practically all production was shut down here.” Because this meant that basic parts were missing, delivery and commissioning were delayed for the Wuppertal-based company.
On the other hand, the special machine manufacturer felt the economic consequences of the pandemic: after Carnival, there was a total slump. For four months, the order books showed “0.0” incoming orders, says Dr. Andreas Groß. Initially, the slump was accepted calmly, but from the third month onwards, he was already concerned. “And from the fourth month onwards, I took my worries home with me at night.” The lead time of 17 months at the end of 2019 shrank to eleven months in August 2020. “That may still sound comfortable, but with a lead time of seven months or more, we have to register for short-time work due to the internal lead time,” emphasizes the Managing Director. However, Berger managed to turn things around in the fall. The order lead time is currently 13 months, “an ideal time frame”. In a podcast to the workforce at the beginning of this year, Dr. Andreas Groß described his view of the near future as “cautiously optimistic”.
It was the first time that the company management had used this means of communication to minimize contacts. The company also relies on digital tools in other ways. Video conferences were now part of the daily routine. Groß’s brother-in-law and co-partner Marco Chiesura, a sales expert who normally spends weeks traveling the world, currently spends up to seven hours a day in front of the screen. At the beginning of February, Dr. Andreas Groß and five of his engineers conducted an exam in the special mechanical engineering course at the University of Wuppertal via camera – with 30 young students on the other side. “We now have to proceed in the same way with our customers,” he explains. The usual procedure is for the customer to come to Wuppertal for the machine acceptance test, see the new machine in operation on site and give their “okay”. Only then does the machine go on its journey. “That no longer works today. Commissioning is now done with cameras,” regrets Dr. Andreas Groß. […]
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