The Slitter? Call it by name:
CONVERTER: WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MAIN CHALLENGES BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY? MB: Internally, to maintain the current culture and great camaraderie, but also ensure that we stay agile and alert to market changes so we can respond to them quickly. This will need more structure in the way we run the business and I’m keen to build a strong winning attitude – a culture of success and expectation.
My own style is one of combining soft facts with hard facts, and hard facts is an area where we are already improving. It’s not quite an iron fist in a velvet glove, but statistics can neither be ignored nor denied – it’s the hard reality of the tough commercial environment in which we operate, and only the best and strongest will survive.
Externally, we need to make sure we develop strategic partnerships with our existing and new customers. Vetaphone has unparalleled knowledge and expertise in surface treatment so our approach is more consultancy work than just a matter of selling the product. It’s not enough to know that you need surface treatment, you need to know why, and how it works if you are going to get the best out of what is highly sophisticated technology, so education has always been a central part of our business ethos. Knowledge is power, so our duty is to empower our customers. This we can do with the help of our worldwide agent and service setup, which we believe brings added value to our customers, wherever they are located.
CONVERTER: THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF CHANGE? MB: The business environment is constantly changing – if you stand still, you go backwards. While we’ll need to make changes to grow the company even more, I want to reassure our customers that nothing will be lost to them in terms of expertise, commitment to ongoing development, and service - and, for the time being at least, the ‘Vetaphone family’ touch that customers have come to know and appreciate will continue. It’s been the rock on which our success has been built – so, as the saying goes: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – but we all know nothing stays the same forever and the key point is finding a way to grow the business with happy customers.
CONVERTER: WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MAIN ASSETS YOU BRING TO THE COMPANY? MB: Having worked in international sales for most of my career, I have a commercial mindset, and I believe it is very important for every CEO to talk directly to customers, maybe not every day, but as often as possible. How can you define and refine your management policy if you’re not up to date with what’s going on in the outside world? We don’t operate in a vacuum – all our R&D is in direct response to the changing demands of the marketplace, and I need to know what they are.
I have a sportsman’s mindset from my career as a national team golfer - I am structured, and I constantly want to improve things. Vetaphone has a very strong brand identity in the market, but I know that the competition is tough and that we must improve every day to keep that unique position.
CONVERTER: AND FINALLY, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO MAINTAIN THE EISBY FAMILY CONNECTION? MB: To my mind it’s very important, at least in the early years, because of their unrivalled knowledge and experience in surface treatment. Although both Frank and Jan have stepped back from frontline management, they still have active roles to play in day-to-day company life here as owners and Board Directors. Frank is now heading-up a new Business Development Unit, while Jan is playing a valuable part in developing the Vetaphone Academy Educational Unit. There will be Eisbys at Vetaphone for a long time yet, I can assure you!
info@temac.it www.convertermag.com
www.temacslitters.com EMS 610 IS SCAN ME
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