Employee interview with Stephan Winkler
While Kloepfel’s consultants were conducting an acquisition meeting with a customer, the task portfolio aroused the curiosity of Stephan Winkler, who was acting as the customer’s purchasing manager at the time. What finally motivated him to become a part of Kloepfel and what his daily work as a consultant is like can be seen in the following interview.
What was your application process like?
It was a “short process.” But now in detail: For many years, I had been familiar with Kloepfel Consulting GmbH through reading the Kloepfel Magazine or through various professional articles. When Mr. Thanh-Duy Tran (Senior Partner at Kloepfel Consulting) introduced himself to me during an acquisition meeting at my previous employer, my interest to work for Kloepfel myself was aroused due to the task portfolio he described.
After I had made the decision to apply at Kloepfel, we had a very intensive interview. Our “question and answer game” on both sides lasted several hours. The content was very multifaceted: Technical topics, personal expectations of the job, performance expectations, but also employment contract details were discussed and negotiated. At the end of the day, we all agreed: It was a good fit!
After almost 2 years with Kloepfel, I can confirm that both Kloepfel and I made the right decision.
Why did you decide on this job at that time?
During my many years as a purchasing manager with over 30 years of professional experience in the automotive industry and in mechanical and plant engineering, I was regularly involved with management consultancies as a project manager.
Kloepfel is characterized by the fact that the solution approaches developed together with the customer are also implemented together. In concrete terms, this means, for example:
- Preparing and leading negotiations,
- moderating workshops with internal departments and suppliers,
- being responsible for project management
- performing value analyses of components or assemblies,
- supply chain processes or even
- to develop proposals for a global purchasing organization.
For the successful execution of the various activities, both the individual departments of the Kloepfel organization and the competencies of the colleagues provide excellent support, which not least ensures project success and customer satisfaction.
What does your typical working day look like?
Depending on the project content and project phase, the following activities, for example, determine the daily routine:
- Determination of potential to estimate the reduction of purchased parts, assemblies or products.
- Preparation and execution of negotiations, which are individually designed depending on the commodity group strategy, suppliers and cost analysis.
- Preparation and execution of workshops to optimize component-assembly costs. Participants are typically interdisciplinary teams from customers and suppliers as appropriate.
- Conducting regular meetings (Jour fixe) with customers
Preparation of:
- Presentations for negotiations and workshops
- Internal and external project reports
- Presentation of cost analysis results
What is great about your job?
The right recipe depending on the size of the company, the depth of added value or even the company locations as well as the customer portfolio are the guard rails of a project.
The bouquet of tasks of a consultant, or rather the “temporary colleague”, is very complex. The responsibility for, for example, project management, coaching of customer employees, holding the interim mandate or the design and support of a change process, require, among other things, a high degree of flexibility, empathy, but also process and methodological knowledge, to name but a few.
All these factors have to be managed in the project. The successful completion of a project and a satisfied customer guarantee a high level of self-motivation.
What challenges does your job bring with it?
Customer satisfaction has the highest priority. In the context of a project, the internal relationship management of the customer and that of the consultancy is one of the success factors. Here the consultant is often the bridge builder to break through the possibly existing “silo thinking” within a company.
What characterizes your team?
“All for one, one for all” – that’s what makes my team. Respectful interaction and shared values are the prerequisites for a successful team. The team spirit that creates the “we” feeling releases energy and ensures the performance of each individual.
Why is your employer a good fit for you?
My expectations regarding
- the self-image of the Leadership Principles,
- the team spirit in the company,
- the working atmosphere and last but not least
- the complexity of the tasks
are fulfilled.
Source: www.kloepfel-karriere.com
Contact:
Christopher Willson
Kloepfel Group
Tel.: 0211 941 984 33
Pempelforter Str. 50
40211 Duesseldorf
Mail: rendite@kloepfel-consulting.com