Successful vacancy bridging – Site Manager in the construction industry
Fischer Weilheim GmbH also relies on the possibilities of professional interim management for vacancies at management level.
Situation
Founded in 1927, Fischer, a family-owned company, is considered a real institution in Stuttgart and beyond the region. In various assignments, including the expansion of Stuttgart Airport, involvement in the complete reconstruction of Messe Stuttgart, excavation work during the construction of the MILANEO site with around 43.000 square meters of retail space, apartments, offices and a hotel, spectacular demolitions of freeway bridges and, last but not least, its current involvement in the Stuttgart 21 rail project, the specialist transport and construction services provider has repeatedly demonstrated its expertise in the field of complex large-scale projects.
Since such large-scale operations on construction sites can only be mastered with an optimally maintained fleet of vehicles and machinery, the in-house ServiceCenter plays a key role. As an independent business unit, it handles the maintenance, servicing and repair of Fischer trucks and construction equipment and also makes almost half of its capacity available to external customers. The company’s own fleet includes about 220 cars and trucks as well as around 100 construction equipment. In the past year, about three million tons of earth stroke and demolition material were transported.
The challenge
Impressive facts and figures that can only be obtained thanks to the dedicated 350 employees. They are the company’s biggest asset, which celebrated its 90th anniversary in September of this year. That is why the company attaches great importance to ensuring that the company’s climate is right. This is because in order for employees to meet the ever-growing and, in addition, ever faster changing demands, they need good conditions. In addition to the right training, good working conditions and social benefits, this includes professional management in particular. The latter determines whether corporate interests are understood, accepted and implemented accordingly by the workforce. If there is a feeling wrong here, the performance decreases, the sick leave increases and the risk of good employees leaving the company increases. Not a nice idea at the current shortage of skilled workers in southern Germany. In order to ensure that this does not happen, the HR management keeps a particular eye on the executives, because they manage the most precious company capital.
Action
As a result of necessary restructuring measures in the service center, it became apparent that the management also needed to be replaced. The company was looking for a manager with technical, logistical and commercial expertise who could take the staff with them as they realigned the business processes.The management was certain that it would not be possible to fill the management level in the short term, but that it would take a few months before the management position could be successfully filled in the long term. However, as the ServiceCenter with its efficient workshop for motor vehicles, construction and agricultural machinery, as well as mobile breakdown and maintenance services, could not remain without a manager during the upcoming restructuring phase, during which the focus was also on acquiring new customers, the management decided to take an unusual step: they opted for interim management. Although this approach had already been taken in the commercial area, the service center was facing completely different challenges. And yet: within a few days, says Hans-Jörg Fischer, one of the managing directors, a suitable manager was appointed. I’m surprised myself that we had two candidates to choose from with our demand in the industry. We very quickly decided in favor of Heinz Vollrath. Not only because of his professional expertise, but also because the chemistry was right straight away.
Heinz Vollrath is from the automotive industry. He has learned his trade from scratch. The 53-year-old is tightly familiar with the processes in a workshop. The interim and project manager looks back on many years of international management experience in the fields of technology, sales and service in large companies. In 2013, he founded his GmbH for consulting and interim management. And as interim manager, he bridges vacancies at senior level. He knows the family business took a risk with the appointment of an outside consultant. In the industry, you immediately think: Oh, there’s something wrong with that. There comes outside help. My service is to run the business temporarily until the long-term appointment of the right manager is found. For Hans-Jörg Fischer, this is stacked a bit deep, because Heinz Vollrath has taken exactly the right measures since May.
Result
In addition to day-to-day business, working time models, management structures and business indicators have been reformed in line with company policy. There has been a new service manager since September. And Vollrath is working him in before he will bridge vacancies at the next company. Managing Director Fischer would have liked to keep him: A real stroke of luck. He has worked with the team and not against the staff. We like to call our service center a black box. He literally shed light on the dark. No, it was even a halogen light, and the positive developments took their course. The Fischers would have liked to employ Heinz Vollrath permanently, but you can’t keep an interim manager, you can only recommend him to others
