"Change is always a chance to improve"

2017-03-01 Old - People 1 min

There is no sign of the weather brightening up on this damp February morning in Hamburg. Nonetheless, mothers with pushchairs are bravely bracing themselves against the wind, dogs and their owners are stoically doing their rounds, and joggers are out and about, defying the cold. One of them is Henry Puhl. Today his target is 10.5 kilometres. "I do this two or three times a week, and I have set myself the goal of the Munich Marathon in the autumn."

As President of the STILL EMEA operating unit, he also shows great energy and ambition in his professional life. His region of Europe, the Middle East and Africa covers very different markets. Collectively, they have enormous potential but require very different solutions. "We are able to offer our customers products and services that clearly create added value because we cater exactly for their specific requirements," he says. "For this, we have to be adaptable. Change is always a new chance to improve."

"We have to be adaptable. Change is always a new chance to improve."

Henry Puhl

President of STILL EMEA

Partner with a regional focus offering enhanced services

The STILL EMEA operating unit has continued to consolidate its regional focus. In autumn 2016, STILL acquired the Norwegian distributor Andersen Truck and set up a new foreign branch with a view to establishing a stronger presence in the Scandinavian market. Characterised by a high proportion of premium products and electric trucks, this market is an incredibly important one for the KION brand company. "If the trend towards electric vehicles continues there, we also expect to see significant growth in our industry in this truck segment," says Puhl. "We are confident that we will be in an ideal position to serve this higher-end market."

"We not only offer premium industrial trucks, but we also see ourselves as a partner for our customers," he says. "In addition to the trucks business, we have continued to develop our range of services to include new solutions for our products in day-to-day operations and for optimising the logistics processes at our customer sites." The STILL engineers and system specialists are well qualified and receive training on all models of trucks and their applications, which means that they can provide individual support and advice to customers. But STILL not only provides regular and comprehensive training to its own specialists and salespeople. It also offers its customers training courses on subjects such as fleet management and automation at its brand-new workshop and training centre in Hamburg.

The ideal fit of Dematic and profitable growth

In the field of automation, STILL already offers product solutions with its iGo range. "With the addition of our sister brand Dematic, we are certainly living up to our motto 'first in intralogistics' and we can now offer the most comprehensive range of automation solutions on the market," says Puhl. The product ranges offered by the two brands complement each other perfectly. While STILL focuses on trucks, product services and business services, Dematic brings new expertise, particularly in the field of fully automated warehouse solutions.

"We have continued to develop our range of services to include new solutions for our products in day-to-day operations and for optimising the logistics processes at our customer sites."

Henry Puhl

President of STILL EMEA

Markets change and so do customer requirements. Generating profitable growth will be a key challenge. STILL EMEA wants to continue to gain market share and work on lean cost structures with a view to ensuring its long-term success. A central focus will be achieving measurable improvement in customer satisfaction as a guarantee for sustainable growth and profitability. For this, the operating unit wants to concentrate on added value and innovations for its customers by providing a high level of problem-solving and service expertise. Collaboration with the other operating units and the CTO organisation will also be an important factor.

There is no question of Henry Puhl's energy and enthusiasm for his brand. "What's special about STILL EMEA is that we already offer first-rate solutions but we still want to improve all the time," he says. "And I have to say, STILL is a fantastic brand. From my first very day, I felt a strong sense of shared brand loyalty and have enjoyed working with all my colleagues on our targets for growth."