Dr. Wein­mann, before we delve into your special area of exper­tise, let’s start by explaining the term first: What does digi­tal­iza­tion mean at Uhlmann?

There are two strategic approaches to digi­tal­iza­tion: one is driven by the market and customer, while the other relates to internal processes. That’s why we talk about external and internal digi­tal­iza­tion. However, the two terms overlap and are not clearly distin­guish­able. For us, external digi­tal­iza­tion is about the so-called solu­tion concept: our solu­tions consist of machinery, soft­ware, and services. Our aim is to serve our customers in the best possible way by offering solu­tions that are both inno­v­a­tive and, most impor­tantly, secure.

Through internal digi­tal­iza­tion, we are opti­mizing our processes and boosting our effi­ciency – for example, by inte­grating various IT systems and by automating manual processes to make it easier for our employees to work with digital tools.

You have a PhD in math­e­matics. So what moti­vated you to focus profes­sion­ally on digi­tal­iza­tion?

My first encounter with a computer was when I was about 14 years old. That’s when I started program­ming and have virtu­ally never stopped since. As my favorite subjects at school were math and computer science, I went on to study both. I grad­u­ated in math­e­matics, but still retained my passion for computers. During this time, I built my own computers and took up program­ming as a hobby. After working for a few years in the finan­cial sector, I re-discov­ered my love for my old hobby and made it my profes­sion. Before I joined Uhlmann, I was involved in various group­wide digi­tal­iza­tion initia­tives at Bosch where I was able to gain valu­able insights into the different forms they take. And I am now sharing this exper­tise with Uhlmann.

You have been with the company since July 2023. What brought you to Uhlmann?

I suppose you could say it was trig­gered by a DJ whose music I’m really into. A recruit­ment agency with a similar name to that of said DJ drew my atten­tion to an inter­esting posi­tion in the field of digi­tal­iza­tion. I took that as a good omen and, for the first time in my profes­sional career, responded to such an inquiry. I then had some very construc­tive discus­sions with the manage­ment and learnt more about the Uhlmann company. What really nailed it for me was when Gert Jaudus took me on a tour of the shop floor. I found the machinery just awesome and for me it was clear: this is where my future lies!

What were your first few months like at Uhlman?

I received an incred­ible amount of support during my onboarding process. And there’s not one day at work I haven’t enjoyed so far. That’s due to the nature of my work, but, most impor­tantly, to the really fantastic team I have the priv­i­lege of working with. And I am not just refer­ring to my colleagues in the Digital Solu­tions busi­ness unit, but also all those whose work over­laps with mine – and we’re talking about a lot of people.

There is a real sense of opti­mism at Uhlmann, espe­cially as regards digi­tal­iza­tion.

Dr. Olaf Wein­mann

How do you perceive the entre­pre­neurial spirit at Uhlmann?

The sense I get among all my colleagues is that they embrace the values of our family-owned company – values that I also shared before I came here: “strong”, “open-minded” and “reli­able”. I also felt happy working in the envi­ron­ment of the big corpo­ra­tion where I was previ­ously employed – but things were different there, of course. Every­thing was much more anony­mous. I really appre­ciate the team spirit we have at Uhlmann! We all pull together – and in the same direc­tion – to drive our company forward as a whole. There is a real sense of opti­mism at Uhlmann, espe­cially as regards digi­tal­iza­tion. We believe in the so-called “solu­tion concept”: The close inte­gra­tion of machine, soft­ware and services is also what sets us apart from our competi­tors. That, combined with our many years of expe­ri­ence in the phar­ma­ceu­tical industry, is our USP, our unique selling point. With our Digital Solu­tions divi­sion, we have a very powerful orga­ni­za­tion for all soft­ware issues, and we are working very closely with the other divi­sions to leverage our USP.

As Vice Pres­i­dent Digital Solu­tions, you are respon­sible for all digital issues at Uhlmann and head the Digital Solu­tions busi­ness unit. What does a typical working day look like for you?

Well, after an hour’s drive from my home near Ravens­burg, I arrive at the office at 7 am, unless I’m away on a trip. My first stop is the coffee machine so it can warm up while I’m settling in. Since it’s still quiet at this time in the morning, I can concen­trate on attending to emails and orga­ni­za­tional issues. This is usually followed by in-depth discus­sions with customers and colleagues on tech­nical and strategic issues. My calendar is usually full weeks in advance. Never­the­less, I regu­larly try to free up suffi­cient time for creative work. I then spend time reflecting on strategic issues, keeping abreast of trends, and building up my exper­tise. At the end of the day, I usually come full circle with orga­ni­za­tional issues and answering emails.

What partic­ular chal­lenges are you facing right now?

We are currently working very hard to expand our digital prod­ucts port­folio and to push ahead with our digital strategy. The world is moving very fast in terms of digi­tal­iza­tion, and I believe that I – along with my team – am respon­sible for ensuring that we keep moving with the times.

Where does Uhlmann currently stand in terms of digi­tal­iza­tion?

We are in a good posi­tion. Our many years of expe­ri­ence in soft­ware devel­op­ment and our own digital divi­sion make Uhlmann a pioneer in digi­tal­iza­tion topics – both inter­nally and exter­nally. Of course, digi­tal­iza­tion is a never-ending process and is never complete.

And where do you want to go? What goals do you have for the company?

We will continue to strengthen the solu­tion concept and the triad comprising machine, soft­ware, and services as part of the imple­men­ta­tion of our digital strategy. For us, it’s impor­tant that our data-driven solu­tions contribute to effi­ciency, sustain­ability, and safety for our customers. We will expand existing tech­nolo­gies to include data manage­ment, analytics, and AI, and we are working hand in glove with our Future Lab and IT in this area in partic­ular.

Absolutely vital to achieving our goals is effec­tive coop­er­a­tion between our busi­ness units.

Dr. Olaf Wein­mann

How do you want to achieve these goals? What does it take?

The digital trans­for­ma­tion that Uhlmann is currently under­going is first and fore­most a cultural chal­lenge. To meet this chal­lenge, we need to have everyone in the company on board, which is why we involve our colleagues and work together to find the best solu­tions. Absolutely vital to achieving our goals is effec­tive coop­er­a­tion between our busi­ness units. This concerns, in partic­ular, the areas of mechan­ical engi­neering, soft­ware devel­op­ment, and after sales and service. We there­fore take a close look at the collab­o­ra­tion models and processes and opti­mize them. We are also strength­ening our regions and actively involving them in our strategic consid­er­a­tions.

How digital are you in your private life?

I’d say pretty much the same as in my profes­sional life: I started turning my home into a smart home around ten years ago. It’s now one of my biggest hobbies and my house has become a compre­hen­sive tech­nical solu­tion. One feature I really enjoy, for example, is my sophis­ti­cated lighting concept. And I can now provide the whole family with the appro­priate tech­nology …

What are your favorite analog activ­i­ties?

(laughs) Well, my cat is pretty analog. In fact, my family takes absolute priority and I spend a lot of my free time doing family stuff. Apart from that, I exer­cise a lot, work in the garden, and am a passionate DIY enthu­siast – even without the help of digital tools.

Thank you very much for the inter­view!