Supply chain partners
We all know that the automotive industry is very competitive. And automotive suppliers need to have very high standards in place. To follow TS 16949 and ISO 14001 is mandatory in this business.

"Due to that, we are forced to have capable and transparent business processes in place. This is expected because automotive suppliers are key stakeholders for OEMs. For our customers, we are very much like an open book. They have to have evidence of our capability, performance, flexibility and especially reliability. We have to be a really good partner that they can trust."

Friedrich says, this is prompting automotive suppliers to focus on all stakeholders. "Therefore our supply chain partners are essential for us as well. My expectation is that our suppliers fully understand and accept their role. Further, to respect the standards in the automotive industry fully and support our role in the supply chain one hundred percent.

"As high quality of delivered parts and services is expected from the very first day, they have to be the reliable suppliers to us as we are for our customers. It has to be a partnership in the truest sense of the word."

Parameters for success
The ability to understand the business and the correlations is fundamental. Nevertheless, a plant head must primarily be a strong leader and manager. "In today's world, plant managers have to be as flexible as possible and able to play the entire ‘piano'. They often have to respond to problems based on the situation and the complexity of the task. Basically, they must be all-rounders."

Friedrich considers himself a team player, motivating the involved parties to contribute in the most effective way. "That is because I am convinced that a group is always more successful than an individual. From another perspective, I am also a fan of standards.

"Standards give us guidance and provide security to act within a known and safe range. Compared with a standardised process, we talk about reproducible and comparable results." Beside company values, Friedrich also follows some personal values as well. "For example, being honest, staying fair, building trust, being dependable, being accessible to people, and being a part of the picture, among a few others."

(Continued on the next page)