Interview with Reto Wolleb of Tuboly-Astronic
UAE, Dubai: Transformers Magazine brings an interview with Reto Wolleb directly from Middle East Energy 2022.
On the photo: Reto Wolleb
UAE, Dubai: Transformers Magazine brings an interview with Reto Wolleb directly from Middle East Energy 2022.
Mr. Wolleb works as the Regional Sales Director at Tuboly-Astronic AG, a well-known producer of winding and core-cutting lines for the transformers industry.
Mr. Wolleb, it feels nice to meet with people in person after a two-year hiatus. What was going on in your company during that time and how does it feel to be a part of this huge event again?
Getting together is exceptionally good for business. In our business, personal contact is extremely important, especially to meet the existing customers but also to reach new customers. In this line of business, it is key that people see the factory, how the work is actually done, as well as to work together and improve the production. Being able to travel again is particularly helpful, I must say.
It is hard to avoid the question of how the pandemic has affected your business, so please, tell us how have you managed to deal with the situation?
Yes, we had the pandemic and it took us by surprise at the very beginning, we did not know how it would reflect on the orders. However, the business has been quite good these past two years. We have managed to stay connected with our customers, so it all ended up well. What was interesting for us was the change from live to online meetings, learning new features, meeting apps, sharing screens, etc. Since the transformer industry was quite conservative, we did not use this approach before. But, we have managed to switch to online mode and successfully work with our customers.
Many companies have experienced difficulties in the supply chain. Have you had any such issues?
This is actually a difficult situation for us. We have mechanical and electrical components in our machines. The delivery time for electrical components has especially increased. We are trying to find solutions in cooperation with our suppliers. The only thing that puts us a bit at ease is that we are not alone in this since all suppliers have the exact same problem. We hope the situation will improve in the future but we think it will be rather in 2023 and not in 2022.
What developments do you expect in the market in the near future?
According to the feedback from the customers, as we are depending on them, the market is quite good and there is a huge demand for transformers. Therefore, we are investing into some new machinery that will help us maintain good business. So, we expect the situation on the market to be good this year. What the future brings, that is yet to see.
Interview by: Transformers Magazine