Marcus Scheiber, Managing Director of Oltrogge GmbH & Co. KG
- Business fields: Surface technology, compressed air technology, machine tools
- Target groups: Industrial customers from various sectors worldwide
- Employees: 150
- Annual sales: 30 million euros (2019)
- In which areas and to what extent has the pandemic affected your company?
- What strategies have you pursued or worked out - what would you do differently with today's state of knowledge?
- How do you evaluate the measures taken by the government, including aid programs for business?
- How was business activity affected (for example, communication between companies, handling of existing orders)?
Like numerous other companies, the Corona Year 2020 presented us with unexpected challenges. Instead of realizing projects as planned, it meant lockdown, short-time work and mobile working from home. Marcus Scheiber, who took over the management of the medium-sized company in February 2020 in addition to Daniel Oltrogge, had imagined his start at Oltrogge a little differently: "I had hardly met all the employees when they had already disappeared into the mobile office. It was not at all easy for me to quickly remember all the names and the corresponding faces," recalls Scheiber with regret.
- What is your summary for the 2020 financial year, and what were your expectations at the end of 2019?
It was thanks to the great energy and commitment of the employees that the growth strategy planned by Daniel Oltrogge and Marcus Scheiber could be pursued and implemented so tenaciously in the first place. One of the lighthouse projects in 2020 is undoubtedly the fact that we brought Atlas Copco, the world market leader for innovative, energy- and resource-saving compressor technology, on board. This enabled us to successfully expand our already broad compressed air portfolio and prepare it optimally for the future challenges of this innovative market. After all, topics such as BAFA subsidies, grants for ISO 50.001 certification and oil-free technology are issues that concern our industrial customers. At the same time, we expanded our service portfolio. With more than 45 service technicians at 4 locations nationwide, we offer a manufacturer-independent technical service, fast maintenance and repair with original spare parts and lubricants of the highest quality - no matter what compressor technology is in use.
- How is the shortage of skilled workers/labor market developing?
The expansion of our portfolio is a real job engine! Not only have numerous additional jobs been created in sales, service engineering and project management. New positions were also created in forward-looking fields of activity such as innovation management and business development. However, Marcus Scheiber is particularly pleased with one development: "Employees who left the company two or three years ago because not much was happening in terms of innovation came back to Oltrogge. So currently, two 'new' old colleagues are already back on board!" We have also become an interesting employer for technicians and fitters thanks to the innovation course we have embarked on and our new partner: "We have already gained some new colleagues in the areas of service and product management via this route. The innovative products and technologies of our new partner simply inspire and convince," Scheiber is certain.
- What role did the topics of optimization, resource efficiency and digitalization (Industry 4.0, BigData, Predictive Maintenance) play in 2020? How do you assess the priority for the next few years and has this assessment changed as a result of the pandemic?
Especially in times when major investments are difficult, we provide assistance on how to save valuable energy and thus costs with cost-effective measures and in many small steps. Under the title "Saving the world?" we developed a concept with which companies can demonstrably achieve greater energy efficiency in the field of compressed air technology. Whether it's precise consumption measurement, the display of wasted compressed air, leakage detection and elimination, or heat recovery - we demonstrate here how easy it can be to save costs and thus make a significant contribution to the more effective use of resources.
- What priorities and development goals are on the agenda for your company in 2021?What are your expectations for the coming year?
When it comes to painting, the purity level of the compressed air, which must be dry and free of oil and particles, is crucial for flawless production. "This has an immense influence on the painting result. If contaminated air is drawn in and compressed during painting, the painting result will not be right in the end," says Marcus Scheiber. As a long-standing service partner, we supply state-of-the-art, fully automatic coating systems to many large industrial companies and have optimized the coating process for faster production and lower material consumption. Also a contribution to resource conservation. "We understand the origins of compressed air generation. We know how air needs to be treated so that every customer gets the quality that's needed."
- In what areas are you planning changes and/or investments?
Last year, we brought the world market leader for compressor technology Atlas Copco on board. Our two companies are linked not only by a forward-looking partnership, but also by social commitment. Because this year, a share of the revenue from each compressor sold will go to the Bielefeld "Fruchtalarm" project for children with cancer.