As with many machine manufacturers, processes had been in place for decades but were getting on in years: There was no database or digital system to track the whereabouts of machines sold, and spare parts were provided on an ad hoc basis without systematic warehousing or planning. Customer inquiries were received via conventional communication channels such as telephone, email and fax and recorded on notes, which then had to be filed and processed manually. Service technicians were scheduled using physical installation folders. Service reports and logs existed exclusively in paper form. This resulted in numerous media disruptions, a high expenditure of time and cumbersome post-processing.

This is where Felix Kämpfer came into play. He joined the company in 2018 as Head of Production and brought a breath of fresh air to the outdated processes. With a degree in mechanical engineering from TU Darmstadt and a previous position at a manufacturing company in northern England, where he worked intensively on the optimization of grinding processes, Kämpfer knew the industry from the user's perspective. He knew that outdated processes impaired productivity and that slow response times could lead to dissatisfied customers. In order to lead Stöckel Werkzeugmaschinen into the digital future, a modern software solution had to be found for the service area.

With remberg XRM, a central, standardized 360° overview of the entire installed base was initially created. Inquiries and incident reports now come together in one place, which enables more efficient and structured processing. The handling of work orders has also been revolutionized: Digital work orders can now also be accessed on smartphones or tablets on the go, which significantly improves flexibility and response times in service.

In addition, digital forms were introduced for service reports, preliminary and final inspection reports and geometry reports. This enables the seamless, prompt and digital capture and processing of all documentation.

Stöckel Werkzeugmaschinen has also introduced the service portal SPARK as the core of the digital transformation with remberg XRM. As a central point of contact, customers can use the portal and the underlying remberg system to access the digital lifecycle files of their machines, view all relevant documents and instructions and submit service requests online with just a few clicks.

Felix Kämpfer summarizes: "With remberg XRM, we finally no longer have a paper trail in service, but a central software with which everything from the request to the solution ends up in the digital life cycle file of the respective machine with just a few clicks. The best thing about it is that we can invite our customers to use the remberg software and thus offer a modern service portal in our company design".

The outlook and the vision

With the successful digitalization of the service area through remberg XRM, Stöckel Werkzeugmaschinen has laid the foundation for the expansion and transformation of the service business. Felix Kämpfer, who was promoted from Head of Production to Managing Director in 2022, continues to pursue the goal of establishing service as one of the company's key growth drivers. With a proactive service and maintenance offering for all 800 Stöckel grinding machines, the company is positioning itself as a pioneer in customer service: "With remberg XRM, we ensure smooth production processes for our customers: With our long-term maintenance contracts, we enable preventive maintenance, avoid unnecessary downtimes and can coordinate any repairs that need to be carried out much better."