Interview with Klaus Sauer und Daniel Ackermann
SAXOPRINT was set up in 1999 as a small-scale digital and offset printshop serving local customers in Dresden, Germany, starting with 22 members of staff. From your point of view, what have been the most important milestones been since then?
Klaus Sauer: In production terms, our move into large format was a major development, as was our introduction of an efficient print workflow and a range of innovations and new technologies allowing us to produce more reliably at an ever-higher quality.
Daniel Ackermann: One key moment was our merger with CEWE. If it hadn't been for Europe's leading photo services provider and its willingness to invest, paired with our commitment and know-how, neither SAXOPRINT specifically nor online printing more generally would be where they are today.
As SAXOPRINT grew, employee representation was set up. What do you make of this?
Klaus Sauer: There has been a works council for seven years now whose standing rules are based on the German Works Constitution Act (and sometimes exceed its provisions). This allows our staff to get real transparency on how the company is run and to make their interests known. We are lucky to have confident, cooperative employee representatives who are the perfect link between staff and management.
What have the greatest successes in the last 20 years been?
Klaus Sauer: Technology, software, and innovation have doubtless been our greatest successes. On a day-to-day level, however, the company runs thanks to the efforts of its strong team. As such, the greatest of all successes has been that we have built up a team of committed team members, many of whom came into management positions at a comparatively young age, who work constantly to make SAXOPRINT a little bit better every day.
What are you particularly proud of at SAXOPRINT?
Klaus Sauer: We have managed to develop young talent internally - and set an example to other companies here. Some members of staff started ten years ago as office clerks or print machine operators and, today, are heading core projects or indeed whole departments with up to 200 people. I think that represents a major success for us both.
On a day-to-day level, what keeps you motivated at SAXOPRINT?
Daniel Ackermann: It is a great pleasure to watch our staff grow, to see that what we put in gets picked up and used, that you can help young people to develop their skills and make progress; we are also motivated by how much initiative our employees show.
What point is SAXOPRINT now at in it's development?
Klaus Sauer: In recent years, SAXOPRINT has become one of Europe's largest online print companies: what started back in 1999 has turned out to be a continuous success story which just keeps going and going.
Online printing is a very dynamic market. How do you handle the challenges this entails?
Klaus Sauer: Keeping up with the ever-increasing demands of the market is not easy, and so we have to stay innovative and improve what we do every single day. We don't always get everything right, but by keeping a watchful eye on the market and our competitors, most of the decisions we make turn out to be the right calls.
In terms of the next stages for SAXOPRINT, where do you see the focus in the coming years?
Daniel Ackermann: In the future, it will be even more important to focus on customers and their needs. "Customer-centricity" is the watchword. There will be less printing overall, and even if the proportion of online printing increases, the situation will not become easier due to more complex customer requirements and strong competitors. We cannot afford to miss any developments or leave any potential untapped: in a 100-metre sprint, it's during the final five metres that the race is decided, and that's where we have to be the best.
How does SAXOPRINT differentiate itself from its competitors?
Klaus Sauer: What is important for us is to have complete control of our value creation chain because doing so allows us to be more flexible, more agile, more market-orientated, and more innovative. Another key point is that we maintain the focus on our business model so that we can better react to volatile market conditions.
Where is SAXOPRINT headed?
Daniel Ackermann: Increasingly, customers are looking for one-stop shops where they can get everything they need in one place. This means that we need to develop our portfolio in a rational, sensible way to serve customers and keep up with the market at a European level. To give you an example of what this means, it is simply no longer enough to offer flyers or printed deckchairs; instead, we have to be able to offer a product portfolio as multifaceted as consumers themselves.
What is more, we have to ensure that most of the value creation happens in-house. We are well clear of 95% and need to stay there - because that is where we earn our money and that is where we draw the financial strength to keep up investment. That said, we mustn't neglect innovation; the focus, however, must always be on our products.