#DigitalDialogue with Björn Ploch from Procast Guss GmbH

Mr. Ploch, can you tell us how you got into the foundry business?

When I was a child, I went with my parents to the Schwäbische Hüttenwerke in Königsbronn for the 625th anniversary festivities. It was a highlight in our village and I saw the pride of the children that their parents worked there. That was the moment I told myself: "I'd like to work here as well" and started working as a foundry mechanic at Schwäbische Hüttenwerke in 1995. Nowadays, I work at Procast as a plant manager and have also founded my own company - Guss-Solutions.

What motivated you to start your own company?

I always try to achieve several things simultaneously in one workflow. However, my supervisors were the ones who have primarily benefited from my ideas for process optimization at companies. In addition to my employment at Procast, I still had my own projects and founded a business in order to be able to write invoices for these projects. That's how Guss-Solutions came into existence.

What products and markets does Guss-Solutions focus on?

In general, Guss-Solutions deals with consulting and process optimization. In addition to foundries, we are also consulting in the areas of agricultural machinery, earthmoving and occupational safety. If a customer has a request, we try to fulfill that request with as few intermediaries as possible so that our solution can be implemented as originally planned.

What role do digital tools play in your daily work?

Many people wonder how I manage to simultaneously be plant manager at Procast and managing director at Guss-Solutions. I can't run Guss-Solutions without digital tools. For example, digital tools allow me to create invoices on my phone and print them directly. I also do my accounting and quoting digitally. Doing everything manually would be so time-consuming that I wouldn't have the time capacity for Guss-Solutions next to my employment at Procast.

In what ways can digital solutions like Metalshub support you?

Metalshub is exactly one of those digital tools that allows me to have an easy path in procurement at both Procast and Guss-Solutions. In addition, the Metalshub workflow is so clearly structured that my employees have quick access to analyses and can submit offers efficiently. Without Metalshub, purchasing raw materials would be much more difficult. In addition, as a buyer, I naturally benefit from the market transparency on Metalshub.

What advice would you give to young professionals in this rather conservative industry?

One should not close oneself off to the industry veterans and instead continue to learn a lot from their experience. A lot of knowledge is lost through older workers in the industry who are currently retiring. This experience can be combined with new knowledge to create innovative solutions.

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