Digitalisierung bei MAPAL

Der Chief Information Officer Erwin Schuster berichtet, warum Geschwindigkeit in seinem Job alles ist

Zwischen Big Data Analytics, Künstlicher Intelligenz und neuen Geschäftsmodellen schafft Erwin Schuster mit seinen Teams die Rahmenbedingungen, damit der technologische Fortschritt bei MAPAL tagtäglich auf allen Ebenen gelebt werden kann.

„Die Kernaufgabe meiner Position ist die Scharnierfunktion zwischen den Fachbereichen Business und IT“, beschreibt Erwin Schuster seine Rolle als CIO bei MAPAL. Er steuert die IT-Struktur, kommuniziert mit der Geschäftsführung und tauscht sich zur Anforderungsaufnahme mit den unterschiedlichen Fachbereichen aus. Letzteres ist ihm besonders wichtig, denn das Verständnis für das operative Tagesgeschäft einzelner Disziplinen ist in seiner Rolle enorm wertvoll. Insbesondere in der IT müsse man immer offen für Veränderungen sein und sich auch mal neuer Methoden bedienen, um zum Erfolg zu kommen. Dieser Antrieb zur kombinatorischen Denkweise lässt sich bereits früh in seiner Vita erkennen. Nach einer Ausbildung zum Elektrotechnischen Assistenten folgte ein Studium der Informatik mit Schwerpunkt Software Engineering, anschließend die Promotion als Ingenieur am Fraunhofer Institut in Stuttgart. Zuletzt war er als IT-Leiter für einen baden-württembergischen Kunststoffspezialisten tätig, bis er sich 2018 für die Herausforderung eines mittelständischen Familienunternehmens und internationalen Anbieters von Präzisionswerkzeugen entschied.

„Wir führen die IT sehr flach. Es gibt eine offene Diskussionskultur, aber dafür muss man auch Vorschläge einbringen und sich vorbereiten. Und natürlich für seine Ideen kämpfen“

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Interlocking two worlds

At MAPAL, he comes face to face with the coexistence of an existing and evolved world. Both are deeply rooted in the organisation, develop in parallel and influence each other. For example, they’re faced with the task of modernising a powerful SAP that’s more than 20 years old by docking cloud-based satellite systems. “Bringing the worlds together and replacing or integrating one with the other will be a big challenge for us”, he predicts. Implementing new processes is strongly considered end-to-end and always has a cross-functional impact, which requires a completely different approach. Due to his key position, Erwin Schuster is always involved in a variety of projects ranging from processes, master data, SAP to Microsoft. At MAPAL, digitalisation is particularly evident in the growing tool and technology landscape. “For our young employees, these technologies are very exciting because we deal with projects and topics that you probably wouldn’t expect from a medium-sized company”, Erwin Schuster explains.

Freedom to create something new

Personal responsibility and opportunities for co-determination are two essential aspects that interest applicants today. At MAPAL you get this freedom, but you also have to work for it, says Erwin Schuster openly. It’s simply a matter of give and take. Employees get to have freedom by demonstrating through small and large projects in IT and in the department that digitalisation and the application of digital tools can generate added value. The next project, additional budget or new technology will come all by itself. He comes across many people here who want to drive something forward and be part of something greater. “We run IT very leanly. There’s an open culture of discussion, but for that you also have to make suggestions and do your homework. And of course fight for your ideas”, he adds. In order to keep up to date outside of day-to-day business, Erwin Schuster also supervises bachelor’s and master’s dissertations at a dual university. He simply enjoys working with young people and being able to support them professionally for part of their journey.

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People Who Work With Us

  • Johsua Roth, Junior Inhouse Consultant at MAPAL Aalen.

    Joshua Roth, Junior Inhouse Consultant

    The future becomes tangible when innovative technologies become an everyday part of the working world. Joshua Roth tests the extent to which processes can be automated with Machine Learning and reports on his experiences as a young professional at MAPAL.

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    Hien Vo, Software Developer

    The real sprint starts when you start working with sprints. Hien Vo lives and breathes agile processes and knows every ticket in the backlog. Born in Vietnam, she works with the IT and Marketing departments as well as with external service providers around the world to create the best possible user experience for MAPAL’s online presence.

  • The picture shows Dennis Sandig, Product Owner and Application Manager in the IT department at MAPAL.

    Dennis Sandig, Product Owner & Application Manager

    Digitisation needs drivers who strive for the best. Dennis Sandig is usually involved at connection points to mediate between specialist departments and development teams. He reports on his experiences at MAPAL.

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    Moritz Mäurer, Master Data Manager

    He’s on board as early as when the first sketches are drawn up according to DIN structures and he’s still there when the companies receive operational support. Moritz Mäurer takes a holistic approach to product development.

  • The image shows Sebastian Schaal – Team Leader IT Client Management.

    Sebastian Schaal, Team Leader IT Client Management

    All roads lead to Aalen. From here, IT Client Management orchestrates the technical infrastructure of the MAPAL sites. Sebastian Schaal works to ensure that all employees worldwide benefit from the same user experience.