When Today Is Already Tomorrow
Interview with Werner Ottilinger, Managing Director of Sauter-Cumulus GmbH
The workplace of tomorrow will look and feel different from what it is today. Workplaces will be more than just physical spaces. Sauter-Cumulus GmbH is an internationally sought-after specialist for digital building and room automation, whose showroom in Freiburg allows interested parties to take a sneak peek at the living and working spaces of the future today.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Ottilinger, during the Corona crisis, New Work was a popular topic. Sauter-Cumulus, as an experienced specialist in building automation, had been engaged with the workspace of the future long before the pandemic. This can be seen, for example, in the Smart Spaces in Freiburg. What can visitors expect there?
Werner Ottilinger: We set up the Smart Spaces four years ago. Here, among other things, it's about digital processes during a workday. Employees book their workspace, a parking spot, reserve a spot in the cafeteria, meeting rooms, charging stations, or book flipcharts using their mobile phones. In the Smart Spaces, it's about intelligent room automation that goes beyond basic needs such as lighting, heating, cooling, and shading. We deal with issues such as demand-dependent cleaning and maintenance, intelligent asset tracking, or indoor navigation. To ensure individual and cost-efficient solutions, we work with a modular system. Customers can select exactly the components that are relevant to them.
Wirtschaftsforum: Sauter-Cumulus has realized an important flagship project. How is the company positioned in the market today?
Werner Ottilinger: We have 1,500 employees, a revenue of 300 million EUR and 34 offices in Germany. This makes us number 2 in the German market; however, for many customers we are number 1. With sister companies throughout Europe, the total revenue exceeds 700 million EUR; we are very well established in Central Europe.
Wirtschaftsforum: Sauter-Cumulus is a paragon of intelligent building automation. What characterizes the portfolio?
Werner Ottilinger: In building automation, we focus on three major topics. First, the digitalization of services. As there are fewer resources in terms of technicians, remote services are becoming increasingly important. Maintenance or troubleshooting is increasingly done remotely; this saves travel time, reduces costs and CO2 emissions. Another advantage is improved response time. So far, we have set up 160 remote facilities; customers are very satisfied. Only the issue of IT security is a concern for both us and our customers. A second pillar is the product 'Analytics', which we also call autopilot. It checks, analyzes, and evaluates the driving style of a building, using AI to determine if a building is being operated optimally. For this, we cooperate with Meteo-Viva, which has created digital twins that are depicted in a cloud—the third pillar of the offering. The building is thus recorded in its behavior, how it behaves at what outside temperature, when cooling is needed, how to achieve the greatest possible comfort for users. Energy efficiency is another major theme in this context. In our own building, we were able to save 18% of energy costs with these solutions, and that percentage will continue to rise.
Wirtschaftsforum: With these solutions, Sauter-Cumulus is a pioneer in the industry. Who are the customers and what do they particularly appreciate?
Werner Ottilinger: We work for investors, investment companies, banks and insurance companies, large industrial enterprises, the public sector, and sports facilities; overall a wide range. Sauter-Cumulus is still a family business, large enough to realize big projects, small enough to prioritize customers. In the end, the employees are the key to success. A company can provide the right products and solutions, but the customer works directly with the employees. If they are satisfied with them and their work, they will return.
Wirtschaftsforum: Besides digitalization, sustainability is a megatrend of the present. Is there a connection?
Werner Ottilinger: Digitalization is a driver of our development and is becoming increasingly important, including in the field of sustainability, where the area of reporting is gaining constant importance. There are huge amounts of data that need to be utilized. This is a challenge that is not possible without digitalization.
Wirtschaftsforum: Sauter-Cumulus has been successful in the market for decades. What are the crucial success factors?
Werner Ottilinger: The people; the right people at the right time. Of course, it's also the products, ideas, and solutions, but behind those are also people. Because it is becoming increasingly difficult to find these people, we invest in training programs and will expand our training center. Our goal is to establish ourselves as the preferred contact for intelligent, customer-oriented building and energy solutions. Our employees form a solid foundation for this.