Support for the Triumph of System Catering
Interview with Hermann Kuper, Managing Director of ServiceKontor24 GmbH & Co. KG
Whether in the form of quick-service restaurants or bakery shops in retail food stores – system catering is clearly on the rise. ServiceKontor24 aims to grow with its customers as a strong manufacturer-independent partner for the maintenance of catering equipment in this process. In the interview, founder and managing director Hermann Kuper revealed which role digitalization also plays and which market innovations he currently considers particularly significant.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Kuper, for over ten years, ServiceKontor24 has been acting as a manufacturer-independent specialist for the maintenance and repair of catering equipment in the market - why do your customers prefer to trust your company instead of signing maintenance contracts directly with the manufacturers?
Hermann Kuper: Our clients are primarily involved in the business field of chain food service – as bakery or hotel chains, catering providers, or in food retail. All these commercial kitchens have in common that they use devices from various manufacturers. If our customers had to contact each manufacturer directly in the case of a fault, they would have to manage a multitude of different phone numbers, email addresses, contacts, and procedures. Moreover, only a small fraction of manufacturers in Germany offer their own nationwide customer service. In this context, the processes can be significantly simplified through the 'One Face to the Customer' principle – and this is exactly the kind of solution that ServiceKontor24 offers as a central point of contact from Hamburg to Munich. With our portal 'Loodse,' we provide our customers with a clear dashboard where they can track the repair and cost progress as well as many other relevant key figures in complete transparency. In discussions with new customers, I therefore like to describe us as a workshop with an attached IT department.
Wirtschaftsforum: Could this potentially become an IT company with an attached workshop? After all, further digitalization and networking are likely to become increasingly important in your industry as well.
Hermann Kuper: Despite all the innovations that are being observed in this direction, one will still always need a skilled worker who can drive to the branch in case of a failure, to manually repair the corresponding machines or perform necessary maintenance. Of course, the data that we collect in the course of our activities is also becoming increasingly important for us. Therefore, our software department is currently working intensively to more comprehensively analyze the data generated over our 13-year company history regarding the reliability of the devices, in order to ensure an even higher operational reliability for our customers in the future. Because at the end of the day, our clients want to sell sushi, pasta, burgers, rolls, or other products – the brands of the equipment they use for this are of secondary importance to them. What’s crucial is that they do not have to worry about downtime and can ensure consistently high quality.
Wirtschaftsforum: The hospitality industry is currently struggling with various challenges, from a shortage of skilled workers to subdued consumer sentiment - how do you assess the current market development?
Hermann Kuper: Many traditional hospitality businesses are indeed increasingly under pressure, partly due to the growing competition from chain restaurants. These companies can operate with a completely different inventory use, deploy very different marketing campaigns, and conduct much more effective recruiting via social media. The fact that consumers think twice about where they eat during economically tense times further fuels this trend: For example, McDonald’s plans to expand its already extensive network of over 1,300 restaurants in Germany by an additional 500 stores in the coming years, and the snack supply in grocery retailing with bake shops and shop-in-shop solutions will continue to grow. Outside Germany, some discounters are already running initial tests with the sale of half chickens. In short: We are currently seeing many exciting innovations in the market. ServiceKontor24, with its grown maintenance and service expertise, would like to contribute to ensuring that the complexity will not become overwhelming.
Wirtschaftsforum: Was this boom foreseeable when you founded ServiceKontor24 in 2011?
Hermann Kuper: When I wrote my business plan back then, I was well aware that this was a huge market and that there was a clear need for systematic solutions for the maintenance and repair of the equipment used there in the chain restaurant industry. The idea for our business concept came to me on a private trip to England, where similar models already existed in the pub segment. The founding of ServiceKontor24 was followed by two difficult years before we could win our first major customer, Starbucks. Wirtschaftsforum: Did you ever regret the move to entrepreneurship during this difficult phase? Hermann Kuper: No, because the freedom of entrepreneurship - and that is something quite different from mere self-employment - had always appealed to me. I would appreciate it if such an understanding were conveyed more strongly in schools. Because it is only through entrepreneurship that new things can happen! This is something we should not forget, especially in times of crisis.