Sustainably Applying Pressure

Interview with Melissa Sesselmann, Commercial Director of Kipp+Poffo Office Consulting GmbH

Melissa Sesselmann, Commercial Director of Kipp+Poffo Office Consulting GmbH
Melissa Sesselmann, Commercial Director of Kipp+Poffo Office Consulting GmbH

Technological advances have turned the office world upside down over the last few decades. Typewriters, printers, fax machines, and copiers have been partially replaced entirely, home office solutions are standard, and the buzzword New Work is on everyone's lips. Kipp+Poffo Office Consulting GmbH, based in Kulmbach, has accompanied this change and evolved along with it. From a sales company for office equipment, it has become a specialist in environmentally friendly printing and comprehensive office consultations.

Wirtschaftsforum: Ms. Sesselmann, you are the Commercial Director of Kipp+Poffo, following in your father's footsteps. Is there a common thread in the story? 

Melissa Sesselmann: Kipp+Poffo was founded in 1957 and was taken over by my father Andreas Sesselmann in 1986, who had trained at the company. My father is known in the industry as a visionary who was always looking for new ways to evolve. This constant development characterizes Kipp+Poffo to this day. 

Wirtschaftsforum: Can you give examples? 

Melissa Sesselmann: The company traditionally comes from the copying and printing sector, distributing typewriters and office supplies. Just before the turning point, my father expanded the range to include office furniture, blueprint machines, and large-format copiers, later also fax machines. At that time, a postal license was necessary for their distribution, allowing nationwide only three companies to distribute fax systems. Over time, Kipp+Poffo expanded through additional locations, especially in Eastern Germany, employing about 200 staff at its peak in the early 1990s. To provide comprehensive customer service, Kipp+Poffo founded the service community Centrum für‘s Büro in 1997, to be able to offer a complete office including cash register systems and mobile communications in-house. 

Kipp+Poffo Office Consulting GmbH Dust-Free
Dust-free devices – also a plus for health

Wirtschaftsforum: Has this positive development continued into the 2000s? 

Melissa Sesselmann: Yes. At the beginning of the 2000s, the concept of Office Consulting was still unknown in the industry. Back then, my father, together with colleagues, developed an analysis tool that was used to create an optimization proposal based on an initial actual-state assessment. This is exactly the path we are following today: moving away from traditional equipment sales towards analysis and comprehensive consulting. A special impetus for further development was the founding of WinWin eG in 2010, a merger of medium-sized companies from the IT and office communication sectors with the goal of supporting each other nationwide in services. Since then, WinWin has evolved from a service to a purchasing cooperative, and we are proud to have been involved from the beginning. Today, over 50 members hold the shares of the cooperative; there is a dedicated leasing bank that finances everything. Another milestone was in 2011, when Kipp+Poffo became an Epson partner and we were able to give new impulses to our portfolio. Epson products are based on a different technology, printing with ink. By distributing low particulate and emission-free systems, we can set an important accent on sustainability. 

Kipp+Poffo Office Consulting GmbH Printing Process
Kipp+Poffo is an Epson Platinum Partner – a partnership with added value

Wirtschaftsforum: What does today's range of services look like after this dynamic development?

Melissa Sesselmann: We have remained true to our core competence, copy and printing technology, and have gained a foothold in new areas such as consulting. Together with our team, we provide comprehensive support to our customers; the focus is always on our TOM (Total Output Management) concept. Costs usually play a major role for customers; moreover, there is often a lack of time to implement projects, as the appropriate personnel are not available. Our goal is to support customers with our services. In the area of document management, it is about tools for digital document processing up to AI-based systems. Here, we work with the EVI-Solution, which can integrate complete processes into the system. Investments in such software solutions will be necessary in the future to reduce standardized, monotonous work.

Wirtschaftsforum: Who do you target with these services?

Melissa Sesselmann: Our customer spectrum is broad and includes car dealerships as well as clinics and medium-sized businesses. We are mainly active in Northern Bavaria for them, also we support a major client across Europe with local service partners, and we work for a clinic in the Black Forest. Since we aim to support customers quickly and reliably, the focus is clearly on regionalism.

Wirtschaftsforum: Online commerce is booming; many office devices can be ordered online with a click. How do you respond to this trend?

Melissa Sesselmann: The market has become tougher not just because of e-commerce. There are four companies with similar portfolios in Kulmbach alone. Our strength is that we distinguish ourselves with sustainable printing from the market. Our products reduce energy consumption and do not produce any CO2 emissions. In addition, we can build very long-term and close customer relationships. We understand what the customer wants and actually needs; we have always been very strong in this regard. This also applies to our high flexibility; thanks to our own leasing bank, for example, we can change and adapt contracts during their term. Kipp+Poffo presents itself professionally, takes a holistic view of the customer, and creates analyses that few others offer. Lastly, customers feel that we have a high standard of service for ourselves. All this has made us one of the leading providers in the region.

Wirtschaftsforum: Given the increasing market requirements, what direction should the future take?

Kipp+Poffo Office Consulting GmbH Cassette Tower Cabinet
Epson AMC-4000 with cassette base cabinet and internal finisher – compact and powerful

Melissa Sesselmann: The further economic development largely depends on politics. Our goal is to further spread our printing technology; there is still much potential for particulate-free printing. At the same time, we will continue to push forward with our software issues and bring AI into the offices. For me personally, it is important to continue my father's work while adding my own personal touches.