From time to time we will introduce you to the people who work every day with the aim to make the world a little healthier - our employees. The first to step up to the mike is Sven Jäschke, our Country Manager Nordic, Central & Eastern Europe. In this interview, he tells us about his experiences of the last few weeks and what motivates him in his job.
Sven, thank you for finding the time. Would you be so kind to introduce yourself?
With pleasure! I am a married father of two children and Country Manager Nordic, Central and Eastern Europe at GOJO Industries, the manufacturer of PURELL® hand hygiene solutions. I am responsible for sales and marketing questions in Central and Eastern Europe, which is a task that is very special to me. Who wouldn't like to take care of the health and well-being of others every day? And that is exactly what we do with our products. For me, my work is absolutely meaningful.
The last weeks and months have been a new milestone in your working life. Since February, you and your team have been faced with a demand for hygiene products that puts everything you’ve previously experienced in the shade. How did you feel during this phase?
Challenged. But it also was very exciting, intense and promising. Above all, we had to act very conscientiously to provide those with our products who needed them most. We managed that well, in my opinion. To remain true to our vision of saving lives and making the world a healthier place, we concentrated on supplying consumers with the most pressing needs first, most importantly, the health sector. And when shops, schools, restaurants and other facilities reopened, we have worked very hard to be a reliable partner for them, too. For example, we developed completely new hygiene systems in a very short time, which we can now provide to existing and new customers.
You said at the beginning that the past time was also promising. Would you like to explain what you did mean by that?
Where shall I start? It was promising that our customers and distributors stood behind us during the most difficult times. They showed a lot of understanding and supported us with their constructive feedback, which helped us to make the right decisions. And because everyone was pulling in the same direction, we were able to keep the service level consequently high. This experience gave me a lot of strength.
How did your employees react to the challenging situation?
In a word: great! They did a great job all over the world! When the pandemic broke out, we reacted immediately by increasing our production. Everyone in the company helped to tackle the situation and made his or her contribution. Around the globe, 2,500 people have worked hand in hand to ensure products reached end users as quickly as possible. In the USA, for example, cooks were retrained to help in the production. They switched over from making soup to preparing hand sanitisers.
Impressive! Please feel free to tell us more
With countless other measures, the production was converted to 24/7 operations. Since January, the GOJO production facilities in Northeastern Ohio and France have been in continuous production. Meanwhile, our sales and logistics teams across all our territories have done everything possible to make sure that our products reach consumers as quickly as possible. Even though we are a global player, the spirit of working in a family business in its third generation is different from working in a corporate group.
In order to move forward, some unconventional decisions have been taken, right?
That's absolutely right. Customers who are familiar with our products may have noticed that our PURELL hand sanitising gel is now available not only in the classic square bottles, but also in round or oval bottles. We have made compromises in terms of design and are currently using as packaging that is quicker to manufacture, or available in bigger quantities. Previously our production quantities were limited by the amount of containers we were able to source, but now we can fill bottles as quickly as our soaps and sanitisers are made. This has enabled us to react fast to the needs of the market..We all agreed that in a time like this, design specifications are not essential, the real focus should be on helping people. And this is what inspires and motivates me every day.
