RK Rose+Krieger GmbH is a subsidiary of the multinational company Phoenix Mecano AG. It is known in the market as a supplier of a comprehensive range ofaluminium linear components, profile assembly systems plus connection and
modular systems. ‘For which area of application do you need a solution?’ As soon as a potential customer answers this question on the RK Rose+Krieger GmbH website, things move quickly and in four simple steps the modular system takes the customer to the desired product. RK’s senior management have hit the mark with the innovation strategy they introduced in 2010, because this manufacturer of components and system solutions for automation engineering now focuses exclusively on its customers’ requirements. ‘For us, the new strategy first meant scrutinising our huge product range, which was confusing for customers, revising it and dividing it into three areas of application’, explains managing director Hartmut Hoffmann.
The times when prospective customers had to leaf through vast catalogues are now a thing of the past. ‘It’s like buying a car, you should focus on the reason why you need the vehicle’, he adds. The new strategy was hard work for the company, which is based in Minden, near Hannover. As many product lines were filtered out and new ones added, the development, product management and project-management departments had to be restructured from the ground up. No stone was left unturned Another key point was the communication of the new innovation strategy inhouse and to the outside world. ‘We started by capturing it in the documentation that everyone within the company is familiar with, then cascaded it down level by level and finally explained it at a works meeting’, says the managing director. At the same time, the website and the printed catalogue were completely overhauled – no stone wasleft unturned.
H. Hoffmann
The promotional brochure, which was also no longer suitable for Rose+Krieger’s new strategy, met the same fate. Prototypes for trade fairs The directors also have a good feel for the future in terms of new customer requirements, where they are seizing the initiative. Even when there is no specific customer request,the senior management team frequently give the green light for the development of prototypes which are then showcased at trade fairs. ‘We ask users at exhibitions what they need, whether the prototype would be a solution for them and what we could have done better – that always produces extremely interesting feedback.’ Rose+Krieger is hitting the mark yet again. ‘Other companies have disappeared – we are here to stay because there is a future in industrial automation engineering.’ Hartmut Hoffmann,
Managing Director
