SCHOLPP received this award in the “Best Performance Non-Production-Material” category as a long-serving supplier for industrial installation. “We were completely surprised when SCHOLPP was called to the stage to receive the award. Nobody knew that an award was going to be given out, so we were even more delighted,” said Managing Director Lars Gerlach, who accepted the award together with Regional Manager Götz Schleith.
TRUMPF and SCHOLPP – 20 years of successful cooperation and partnership
Since the end of the 1990s, SCHOLPP has worked as an industrial service provider for TRUMPF across the globe in the field of machine installation and service. It all began with an initial project involving the transportation of a laser plant from Sindelfingen to Greece. The cooperation between the two organizations has expanded over time, and now SCHOLPP is able to supervise the installation and transport of a wide range of machine types. The range of services offered by SCHOLPP has also been expanded as the company has developed.
The cooperation with TRUMPF benefits the network of locations in the SCHOLPP Group in Germany, Europe, and Asia. The close connection to TRUMPF is paying off. SCHOLPP has overseen more than 10,000 TRUMPF machine projects worldwide. Now, SCHOLPP also installs machines and plants for TRUMPF’s companies abroad. “Over the years, we have developed an in-depth understanding of the installation process for TRUMPF plants,” explained Götz Schleith, highlighting the benefits of the cooperation.
In the meantime, a separate business area has been developed: “CSM – Complete Service Management” by SCHOLPP. This involves a sophisticated standard for specific cooperation between machine manufacturer and industrial service provider. Service modules can be combined in a flexible and modular fashion in accordance with the requirements of each specific order: consultation, dismantling, transport, installation, and establishment of production readiness. SCHOLPP also provides service and maintenance support for the installed machines.
The concept is based on providing several weeks of hands-on training as well as continual ongoing training to the SCHOLPP installation teams that work for TRUMPF. “We are fully capable on most of the TRUMPF machine types, which enables us to work with and for the TRUMPF technical customer service team on an equal footing,” asserted Regional Manager Götz Schleith, emphasizing the benefits of the ongoing installation training. The teams, which are specially trained for the machines, consist of mechanics, mechatronics engineers, and electricians. All teams are available in any size and whenever they are required. “This guarantees that the teams are ready for deployment as quickly as possible,” added Schleith in regard to the benefits for customers. Of course this also includes all planning and commercial activities.
The relationship between the customer and the service provider, which has worked so reliably for many years, has resulted in the development of an equal partnership. “There is a very open culture with regard to our communications with TRUMPF,” said Leonard Krohmer, the SCHOLPP Project Manager responsible for TRUMPF, describing the two-way communication.
This open communication also applies to the installation processes. “Our team can offer input on possible optimizations even for well-established machines,” Krohmer continued, such as streamlining the parts delivery schedule or preparing the cabin metal sheets for quicker installation of the plants.
Even when something unforeseeable occasionally happens, such as a colleague falling sick, SCHOLPP gives top priority to finding an alternative. That’s why Krohmer can proudly say of his team: “As of yet, we have never had to postpone a starting date.”
The future is now: new business areas, new services
From January 2018 onward, SCHOLPP will train its own installers on the new technologies in the field of additive manufacturing. Some of these TruPrint machines have already been transported and installed for testing purposes. “We support our customers with new machine types right from the beginning. This close strategic cooperation has proven to be useful for many years and, as a cooperation partner, we share the business risk in order to be successful together,” said Leonard Krohmer, explaining the mutual benefits offered by the service concept.
Of course, these types of new, high-tech products also require many years of experience. “When machine specialists enter completely new markets with entirely new products, they like to put their trust in experienced personnel when it comes to services and logistics. This significantly reduces the risk involved during market launches in global business and helps companies to establish themselves in the market over the long term,” assured Managing Director Lars Gerlach.
One aspect that benefits the SCHOLPP fitters when preparing installations is their ability to view a wealth of technical data and processes at TRUMPF thanks to the increased level of trust between the two organizations. This allows the installation teams to maintain a very high level of quality for the installation. “We are always happy when TRUMPF openly communicates to its end customers that the machines are to be installed by a specialist company. There could be no better advertisement for us,” stated Lars Gerlach, summing up the good basis of trust.
Talking with: Stefan Stagel, Head of Sales at TRUMPF, and Jens Zimmermann, Head of Technical Customer Service for Additive Manufacturing
What were the criteria that played a crucial role for choosing the winner of the award?
Stefan Stagel: Quality, response time, flexibility, the price-performance ratio, and the type of cooperation were the main criteria.
Why did you end up choosing to give the award to SCHOLPP?
Stefan Stagel: First of all, Scholpp has worked together with TRUMPF for almost 20 years. Scholpp is highly flexible and has very short response times. Flexibility is even more important in today's difficult market conditions, with an acute shortage of skilled workers. The large pool of employees with a good mix of qualifications is definitely helpful in that respect. In addition, we also work well together as partners, and Scholpp offers competitive prices in line with the market.
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is the newest future-oriented field in digitalized and networked production. You are currently launching your new product range TRUMPF TruPrint on the market. How is SCHOLPP involved here?
Jens Zimmermann: As early as the product development process, we took advantage of SCHOLPP’s specialist knowledge for the transport and storage of our TruPrint 3D printing systems. As is the case for other TRUMPF machines, SCHOLPP is currently an important partner across Europe for our 3D printers, providing services that include everything from moving machines into the customer’s site, even in difficult conditions, to providing installation support for our TRUMPF service technicians on site. This guarantees that our customers can quickly put their new additive machines into service.
