Borris Schueler, Head - International Operations, Hoffman Group, Visits IIFT Kolkata Campus

Borris Schueler, Head - International Operations, Hoffman Group, Visits IIFT Kolkata Campus

IIFT's tryst with the who's who of the corporate world scaled a new peak recently with visit of Mr. Borris Schueler, Head, International Operations of the Hoffman Group, to the Kolkata Campus.

Mr. Borris Schueler, Head, International Operations, Hoffman Group, During his Visit to IIFT Kolkata

The session focussed on the intricacies of doing business in Europe, particularly in Germany. The Hoffman Group is Europe's largest provider of state-of-the-art industrial tools with a product catalogue encompassing 40,000 tools sourced from some of the world's biggest manufacturers. The talk revolved around the massive sourcing exercise and the operations issues which Hoffman manages so efficiently, enabling it to stay at the top.

Mr. Schueler emphasized that business is first about people and relationships, and then products. He also drew a contrast between the German and Indian way of doing business and outlined the two core values that Germans upheld - reliability and efficiency. Answering a query on the threat from China, Mr. Schueler pointed out that Germany is known for its ingenuity, and it is this skill of theirs that helps differentiate thems from the rest of the pack. He also said that Hoffman, being a zero-debt company, was well-placed to tackle the liquidity crisis engulfing the world in these times.

On a different note, he stressed on the fact that it was absolutely necessary for future managers to give family a high priority, and delegate work accordingly, so as to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Finally, Mr. Schueler's humour got the better of him when he gave away a secret trade trick, that the best way to know a customer better was to have lunch with him.

Concluded.

Contributed by -
Mohit Goyal,
Joint Media Coordinator,
IMF, IIFT Students' Body,
IIFT, Kolkata.

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