TIME FOR A CHANGE

Customer: CAOBA DOORS in Antigua Guatemala

Travel period: 11/06–11/13 

Route: Munich – Houston – Guatemala City – Antigua Guatemala 

During my business trip to CAOBA DOORS, I was tasked with commissioning the DSG Notum thin-cutting frame saw, the Micro Grinder HT for reconditioning saw blades, and the Tension Master for re-tensioning at the customer's site. The machines were delivered to Guatemala and installed in the customer's production facilities in the city of Antigua Guatemala. 

My journey began on November 6 in Munich, where I caught a flight to Houston. I had a short stop there before continuing the journey to Guatemala City. The flights went smoothly and I reached my destination on time. After arriving in Guatemala City, where the temperature was a pleasant 24 – 27 degrees Celsius, I made my way to Antigua Guatemala. A big thank you to the customer who took care of both the accommodation and the shuttle service from the accommodation to the assembly site. The city is surrounded by many volcanoes, some of which are still active. During the night you could feel the volcanic eruptions, which was an incredible experience. Commissioning the machines went well, and I was able to guarantee the customer that they will run smoothly. During my stay I had the opportunity to speak to the team and give them extra tips for servicing and looking after the machines. All in all my business trip to Guatemala was a great experience. In addition to my work, I was able to enjoy the beauty of the location and learn about the country's culture. I'm confident that the machines will help our customer optimize their production processes and achieve their goals.

In March 2022, Christian Weber installed the Jupiter automated ski grinding machine in Japan for the customer Xraeb Winter Sport Lab. Total travel time: 12 days. At the beginning of March 2023, the first service and a grinding training session were carried out, for which Christian stayed in Japan for a total of 7 days.

Christian Weber started as a pool technician at WINTERSTEIGER 20 years ago. During the 2004/05 season in Ischgl, the 2007/08 season on the Pitztal Glacier, and the 2010/2011 season in St. Anton, he was able to gain a lot of experience in ski service as a "seasonal worker". The countries to which the SPORTS customer service technician has been able to travel in the course of his duties include Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Andorra, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Japan, and many more. “What I like most about my job as a customer service technician is working independently and the contact I have with the customers!” says Christian Weber.

In 2008, Johannes Schachinger started at WINTERSTEIGER as a customer service technician for WOODTECH with thin-cutting saws. He has worked in WOODTECH Sales since 2016 and, as Area Sales Manager, is responsible for the Benelux, UK, and Ireland markets as well as South America outside of Europe. Johannes travels to Brazil at least once a year for two weeks, where he visits customers together with colleagues from the subsidiary in Palhoca. His colleague Bruna Freitas interprets when English language skills reach their limits.

After five to six customer visits in the first week in Brazil, a week at the FIMMA Brasil trade fair in Bento Gonçalves beckons. There are also interesting markets and WINTERSTEIGER customers in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay. Johannes would like to travel even more, if time allows. The long distance makes it difficult. What is special about Brazil is the mentality – the people are very open. Many Brazilians have European roots, their grandparents having immigrated from Italy, Austria, or Germany. The German language is widespread and this always results in very interesting encounters. The gap between rich and poor is very large in Brazil.

Peter Steinberger started at WINTERSTEIGER in 2012 as an apprentice electrical engineer and has been working in the electrical workshop ever since. Except in winter, for that's when the winter sports enthusiast is in the mountains. At WINTERSTEIGER, work and hobbies can be perfectly combined. Therefore, for the past five years, Peter Steinberger has been working seasonally as a ski service employee in the ski service workshop. The first four times he was in Switzerland, at Skiservice Corvatsch in St. Moritz, a major WINTERSTEIGER customer. One of the most exciting things about working in Switzerland was the international aspect, with some of his colleagues coming from as far away as Argentina.

This year, Peter was in Austria for the first time, at Bründl Sports in Zell am See (at the Areit valley station). Bründl Sports is also a very important WINTERSTEIGER customer. Peter Steinberger works on an automated ski service machine with four modules. Bründl Sports has 2000 pairs of skis and snowboards for rental in this sports store alone. In between and on weekends, Peter Steinberger has time for his hobbies: skiing, giving ski tours, and glacier flying. The reason for his work as a seasonal ski grinder is the opportunity to practice these sports as often as possible at the same time.