Strategic Purchasing Agent, LÄPPLE Dienstleistungsgesellschaft
INTERVIEW WITH Julia Sailer

Profile

Julia Sailer

With LÄPPLE Dienstleistungsgesellschaft since January 2017

My tasks

Strategic purchasing, including vehicle fleet and facilities management.

 

Can you give us a brief account of your career so far? You are still quite new at LÄPPLE!

Yes, I’m still a relatively new addition to the LÄPPLE team. I previously worked at another company in the region in the solar energy sector. It was important for me to join a company which was also in the technology sector, since I’m very tech-minded myself.

 

So why did you choose LÄPPLE?

LÄPPLE is a renowned company in this region, and when you go to Heilbronn, you can see the building from miles away.


What do you do?

I work in Strategic Purchasing here in Heilbronn and I’m part of the LÄPPLE Dienstleistungsgesellschaft team. This means I’m responsible for purchasing for the entire Group in all matters not directly related to production.


Can you give us a few examples?

My areas of responsibility include the vehicle fleet of the LÄPPLE Group, as well as facilities management. Anything which concerns these areas will reach my desk as some point.

A major area which affects the entire Group is PC workstation procurement. When new PCs are required, the IT team sends me the specifications for what the computers need to be able to do. I then make the appropriate enquiries with various suppliers, obtain quotations, compare prices and negotiate terms, since the entire process can take several years.

 

 

How important is it to have an understanding of technologies in your job?

I rely on support from my colleagues, but a certain level of basic knowledge should obviously be there.


Do you also work together with the other companies in the Group?

I get to liaise with all other companies in the Group, such as FIBRO GmbH in Hassmersheim and Weinsberg. My contacts there are mainly in purchasing, but of course I can also receive support from colleagues from other departments if necessary.

What I find particularly engaging is getting to be a point of contact within the company and thus be involved in all matters relating to procurement. This includes facilities management, IT and fleet management, as well as catering provisions for the various sites. I also find it really interesting to work together with my colleagues in other sites such as Teublitz.


What are the benefits of integrating Purchasing into LÄPPLE Dienstleistungsgesellschaft?

LÄPPLE is growing constantly, so it’s getting more and more important to bundle together internal operations so that we can grow together better and harness synergies more effectively. That’s why indirect purchasing is also integrated into LÄPPLE Dienstleistungsgesellschaft, so that its affairs can be conducted in the best possible way for all sites.

 

 

After just four weeks at LÄPPLE, can you tell us briefly what conclusions you’ve drawn so far?

After four weeks, the main conclusion I can draw is that I was welcomed into the company with open arms, so I already feel like I'm part of the team. I have responsibility for my own projects and have already got to know many people at LÄPPLE, FIBRO and FLT.