KHS competence: Mr. Berger, why did you join KHS?

When you’ve been in the packaging industry for as long as I have, you know the big suppliers extremely well. For me, KHS has always been and still is a company with a strong vision and a high degree of innovation. I simply found it tempting to work for such a strong group – and in Scandinavia, too.

What areas does KHS Scandinavia actually cover?

Seven Nordic countries and the three Baltic states: from Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway through Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It’s a vast area with 32 million inhabitants and many different languages, each country with its own historical and cultural background. The business mentality is also very varied. On our side we thus need a very competent team with a sound knowledge of languages and a high ability to adapt.

How do you see your new job?

It’s my job to head the team at KHS Scandinavia so that our trio of success, as I call it, gives the customer the best possible quality in products and services. This trio consists of the customer, the central KHS installation team and our local sales and service team.

What can customers expect from you?

I aim to take on a very active role in the future regarding contact with our customers, among which there are almost a dozen premium worldwide suppliers. With our innovations and outstanding service we always strive for active dialog. Continuous improvement isn’t just a buzzword for us but a fixed feature of our practical day-to-day work. The customer has the right that we cater for his or her needs and demands, regardless of when or where he or she needs anything.

What do your customers appreciate about KHS Scandinavia?

It’s not just KHS Scandinavia but the entire group or organization our customers up here in the north have very long business ­relations with. We have a number of ­employees who have already celebrated their 25th ­anniversary working for KHS, providing our ­customers with long-standing, trusting ­support in ­after-sales service. They can be ­reliably reached by our customers, help out in any ­situation – and even think like their customers’ employees. That’s how it should be!

How would you describe your style of leadership?

I lead my team with clear objectives. I’m open and direct in my style of management and welcome ideas, suggestions and questions. I expect things to be placed firmly on the table and that we look for answers together. This is very productive and ultimately of direct benefit to the customer.

Mr. Berger, thank you very much for this interview.

KHS competence: Mr. Schwarzmann, what prompted you to join KHS? And why China?

I’ve been familiar with KHS as a supplier of filling and packaging systems for many years. In the middle of last year it became clear that my former employer was going to have to close the office in Vienna. You could say it was a stroke of luck when one day I had an unexpected phone call from Dortmund. KHS interested me as a well-known innovative company which was  also creative in a number of unexplored areas. I was asked if I could imagine moving to China. This was very unexpected for me and not planned in the slightest but somehow I found the idea exciting. I now live in Shanghai. Different ways of thinking. Different ways of life. A different business. It’s simply exciting!

What makes the market and the customers in this vast country so special?

KHS China is undergoing a period of steady growth. The dynamism is huge. This means that the competition is also very strongly represented and aggressive. Almost all of the global players are active here. And also countless local suppliers. But the Chinese value European and especially German equipment. A lot happens through connections and good contacts. If it’s not possible to recognize an impending project very early on, there’s practically no chance of securing the order. Speed and short delivery times are vital. But so is ease of operation. This is what the customers are like here. “Very demanding” and “high tech” but also “simple” and “pragmatic”. This is pretty impressive and very different from Europe.

What can customers expect from you?

We already have good customer relations throughout the entire country. KHS plays a leading role in the beer segment especially. As the language is very important, our sales personnel are all native speakers. But customers also want to see the management. They expect this person to be able to make decisions. And this is where I play my part. I share my work with my colleague Geoffrey Chan. He’s responsible for procurement, finance, human resources, and administration – while I’m in charge of the sale of new systems, after sales, and project management. The initial aim for me is to meet all of our customers’ important decision-makers over the next few months. Trade shows and other events help here. Customers must know who they can turn to when they have an important issue to discuss.

Why do customers in China appreciate KHS?

We recently carried out an anonymous customer survey and had a very clear result. Our customers consider us to be an experienced technological leader and rely on our service. But of course we won’t rest there. Here in ­China you have to be able to ­permanently adapt to new situations and this is what makes the situation here so attractive to me.

Would you tell us your motto?

Only a team can be successful. Our employees know and live up to this motto. I’m not a lone wolf and I don’t know anybody who’s been successful as one in the long term.

Mr. Schwarzmann, thank you very much for this interview.