One focus for her, therefore, lies also on the themes of corporate culture and diversity: "In India, many things are in complete contrast to Germany. Particularly, the positive Can-Do attitude has impressed me. To understand changes enthusiastically as an opportunity and not to meet them with a 'Yes, but' – this is certainly one of the many great characteristics of the people I was able to work with there. This is also what I would like to bring into the company: the smaller, more flexible approach, to just try something out, and above all, not only to look at the product itself as the solution but to consider the experiences made around our professional coffee machine solutions. Offering a fully positive customer experience will become increasingly important in the future."

It is also important to her to have a good mix of people in the company: "Different qualifications and experiences, as well as a good mix of age and gender - all this leads to new ideas. The way work is done in other countries can also inspire us. Our journey goes towards promoting this richness of ideas even further. We want to bring people together even more intensively."

Design and Quality Combined

Challenges such as inflation and rising prices on the one hand, and the ongoing shortage of skilled workers, especially in the hospitality industry, on the other hand, reflect the current challenges Franke can respond to with convincing solutions.

"Simple, intuitive operation helps in times of a shortage of experienced staff and ensures quick learning. At the same time, productivity can be increased. And thanks to our unique iQFlowTM technology, we also guarantee consistently high coffee quality, thus satisfying returning customers," says Melanie Aselmann.

The reliability of the products is one of the cornerstones of success for Franke Coffee Systems, according to the managing director: "Those who work with our systems get to know a very well-functioning and smooth product," she says. However, reliability is important for Franke not only on the product side but also in service: "We regularly receive very good feedback for our service from our customers," emphasizes Melanie Aselmann. "We are always there, you can rely on us. And we offer the quality that is expected of us."

She is convinced that the product portfolio also significantly contributes to the company's success: "With our A-line, we not only cover the fully automatic machines, but also the segment of portafilter machines with Dalla Corte. Moreover, we exclusively produce in Switzerland and Italy, thus in quality according to European standards."

At Internorga this year, Franke introduced the new product category 'BeyondTraditional' and presented 'Mytico', the first product of this category, which combines Italian design with the well-known Swiss quality and technology. "With Mytico, we have a model that does not yet exist in this form on the market. This combination of design and technology is very exciting and appeals to new target groups," says Melanie Aselmann.

Digital into the Future

Digitalization and the connectivity of devices is an important issue for Franke. "Our goal is to offer our customers significant added value through our Franke Digital Services. For instance, our customers receive real-time data that ensures operational and economic transparency and secures the in-cup quality," the managing director gives an example. "We want to use digitalization and IoT now and in the future to become faster and more efficient and to offer an optimal customer experience with our solutions."