Modern media technology for smart solutions - Kilchenmann

At Kilchenmann, we want to be at the forefront of digitalisation and new technologies.

In the interview with Kilchenmann CEO Mathias Brand - which you can find here we have already learned that the company does not want to lose focus on digitalisation and wants to be at the forefront of new technologies. But what does that mean in concrete terms? We asked Marcel Kunz, Kilchenmann's new CIO and CDO, these and other questions. We can only say this much: it will be exciting.

Let's start from the beginning: Marcel, when did you start at Kilchenmann and in what role?

I had the pleasure of taking up my new role as CIO and CDO for Kilchenmann AG in August 2020. As a member of the Executive Board, I am responsible for both IT and the digital corporate strategy in my dual role as Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Officer. When I took up my position, I was able to use an existing Kilchenmann "Digital Strategy 2025" concept paper to orient myself and plan an initial direction for activities. Meanwhile, several projects had already been initialised or were in the process of being implemented or introduced.

Can you tell us a bit more about your responsibilities, e.g. in the area of IT services?

As a member of the Executive Board, I am responsible for all IT services for our employees, who are our internal customers in the true sense of the word. On the other hand, we also offer our external customers an ever-increasing range of IT services within the framework of projects, for example in the areas of unified communication & collaboration, digital signage or customer flow management. As Digital Officer, I have taken over the business in the area of digitalisation and am working concretely on the operationalisation of Kilchenmann's digital strategy.

What are your plans for new digital products?

The ultimate goal is for Kilchenmann to be - and of course remain - successful on the market as a companion and business partner to our customers with smart total solutions. To achieve this goal, I strive to create the conditions to build on our success with new digital products and to provide new digital services and solutions as an agile and innovative company.

We also have a lot of work to do in internal IT services - because our infrastructure is not yet quite ready to serve our employees with end-to-end digital processes. In close coordination with the business units and internal service providers, my goal here is to eliminate analogue process steps and media discontinuities and to live digitalisation internally as well. Important aspects in this context are the safeguarding and continuous improvement of information security and data protection within our IT systems - as well as the sensitisation of our employees to this important topic.

Can you tell us which projects you have already completed?

In the field of action "Service Management", a project for the introduction of a digitalised solution was started at an early stage. The processes of the Service & Support department (today: Service Delivery) were structured according to ITIL and could be mapped with suitable software. New requirements and interfaces to "older" conversion systems are continuously analysed and supplemented.

It is very pleasing that we have already been able to successfully launch a product on the market in the last few months that supports our customers in holding virtual events and trade fairs( more informationhere ). The changed requirements and needs of our clients due to the pandemic have led us to develop options that are specifically tailored to hybrid and virtual events. Together with these new digital formats, our experienced specialists are the decisive factor in making an event a success.

How do we have to imagine digitising a company? What steps are taken? In what order?

The first question to ask is why a company wants to digitise? The focus is usually on the claim to be one step ahead of the competition in times of digital change. For us, this means in concrete terms: In order to be successful in the digitalisation of our existing and new customer services, it is essential to tackle and digitalise our internal, analogue processes, some of which are still bound to paper. With digitalisation, we get more efficient operational processes and can reduce our costs. Here, modern IT software helps us to implement simplified digital solutions and thus make our work more efficient. In this sense, digitalisation supports us in supplementing existing business models with new digital elements or even replacing them.

How do you ensure that you keep track of the considerable amount of projects? Are projects prioritised? Is there milestone planning?

That is indeed sometimes a challenge. Our declared goal is to quickly generate new business and secure existing business through digitalisation. It is of course tempting to assume that projects with a high priority will be implemented quickly and thus generate benefits quickly. However, it is essential to spend enough time in the initialisation phase to clarify the processes, goals and requirements in order to obtain a functioning and suitable solution. We have already experienced that too many projects running at the same time can block our organisation. Here it is the responsibility of the management to define the right prioritisation and to adjust it if necessary.

What projects have you already started?

There are many projects underway in our organisation that concern the digitalisation of Kilchenmann and its market services. Here are two examples that I am responsible for in my role as CIO: In cleaning up the data landscape, we are pursuing the goal of understanding and structuring our data and making it available for the introduction of processes without media discontinuity. At the centre is the principle that a data set always belongs to a single application, which can change this data and make it available to the surrounding systems via interfaces. Data also plays a decisive role in the implementation of the cloud strategy. Data classification, location of data processing and storage and the associated data protection and data security must be clarified in order to approve a decision to introduce new, modern cloud services. A lot of clarifications are necessary for the introduction of mobile and flexible work tools, which is sometimes underestimated.

What advantages does the planned digitalisation have for Kilchenmann's customers?

Our goal is to map, implement and live the customer journey of our customers. On the path from prospect to customer and from customer to returning customer, there are a large number of touch points at which we work directly with the customer and/or their processes. This is where we come in and use digitalisation as an enabler to ensure response times, digital exchange, but also consistent or improved quality in our services.

Digitalisation is often accompanied by a change management process. How did you approach this?

That is correct. Digitalisation alone changes individual work steps or entire processes, interfaces are redesigned and responsibilities shift as a result. From my experience, however, I do not see digitisation per se as the starting point or trigger for a change management process. Rather, the employees involved question their tasks and possibilities to automate or at least simplify analogue work through digitalised tools. This opens up opportunities for new freedom to align the organisation with the needs of our customers. I consider it crucial for success to get the employees on board and involved in the process from the very beginning. This is also the reason why we repeatedly involve employees in our change management process and place them - together with our clients - at the centre. This is done within the framework of our internal programme "Fit for Future", in which we have, among other things, developed the new mission statement together with the employees, with which we define and anchor our values, the orientation and the goals of the company.

Last but not least: What do you enjoy about your work?

I find working with people in a company that continues to live its culture despite the pandemic and home office very enriching. I perceive a great dynamic, experience active employees and the understanding that lateral thinkers can bring us forward. I also enjoy the strategic and operational work as a member of the management board, where I can help shape the future and further develop the company. And of course the many technical challenges that I and my IT organisation face on a daily basis. I am proud to work together with three hundred other Kilchen men and women for our success.