I studied a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Heilbronn University, writing my dissertation on LÄPPLE. I then enrolled in the LÄPPLE trainee programme and spent the first two years responsible for the project management of a research and development project. After completing a leadership course, I moved into logistics planning. For three years now, I have been responsible for logistics at the Heilbronn site and thus for the operational and strategic management of the department at LÄPPLE Automotive.
LÄPPLE is one of the leading automotive suppliers in Germany, and technology is one of the main focus areas for the business. For many years, research and development has played an important role in this regard. Topics such as change, adaptation, change management and new technologies are also becoming more important by the day. This variation and the goal-oriented, customer-focused approach employed by LÄPPLE fascinated me and it’s what makes working here every day so exciting.
Daily challenges include meeting customer needs and requirements to the right standard of quality, at the right time and in the right place. This also includes honouring short-notice changes in customer requirements. So every day I tackle areas such as safety, organisation and cleanliness. Alignment of logistics processes to new technologies, like a tugger train system or driverless transport systems, is also a very important aspect to what I do. Every day we are dedicated to planning, designing and implementing these technologies in Heilbronn before launching them.
Of course, technology is an indispensable part of our professional lives. This also applies to logistics, for example our driverless transport system, and it plays a role which shouldn’t be underestimated.
RFID-based technology is also becoming more and more important in our business, which is because it’s being requested by customers more often. We’re having to adapt our systems and processes in order to accommodate that.
Industry 4.0 is a concept from the field of economics which specifies streamlined processes, from customer requirements to final assembly and delivery of the products. We strive to adapt our entire value chain accordingly, whilst keeping a focus on customer utility. To do this, we constantly have to keep our internal processes under review, adjusting them where necessary.
Once the building is finished, we are eager to start going in new directions when it comes to technology. There’s a raft of new tech that we want to introduce, including a tugger train system, automatic dispatch of manufactured articles, and even the application of an RFID-based system for the identification of components.
Right off the bat, we were able to harness the synergies that are made possible by the companies of the LÄPPLE Group. We maintain a constant dialogue with these different parts of the company, sharing our knowledge and experience from Heilbronn with other locations, and vice versa. This way, we can ensure that cost reduction opportunities will be revealed and new developments won’t be missed.
