The company Steffen-Holzbau employs around a hundred people and has been generating an average turnover of €22 million in recent years.
Steffen-Holzbau got involved with Luxinnovation’s Fit 4 Innovation programme “with a view to obtaining and capitalising upon an entirely external view of the company and its activities”, Chief Executive Stephan Hostert explains.
The involvement of external consultants had an impact on all of the company’s various departments, including the sales department and the planning and project management department. “Most of the observations made by the consultant had already been made internally but they did offer new approaches to dealing with some of these aspects”, Stephan Hostert continues, “which helped us when it came to dealing with the most significant of changes”.
Improved margin and 20 people hired
Improvements focused primarily on the introduction of new tools designed to facilitate communication and achieving better flows of information, as well as enhancing both commercial practices and the company’s image among customers and suppliers alike.
All of this was complemented by the creation of two key managerial roles within the company, notably including that of Purchasing Manager.
This enabled Steffen-Holzbau to increase its margin and improve its financial results, with an order book that grew significantly and a better overview of the company’s future. The fact that it has also boosted its workforce by some twenty or so individuals since the start of 2017 also demonstrates just how well the company has been doing since its involvement in the Fit 4 Innovation programme.
“We didn’t stop when the programme ended”, Mr Hostert points out. “In fact, we have now adopted a continuous approach to innovation, and I would heartily recommend that other companies adopt such an approach”.
Following on from the action plan put in place, Steffen-Holzbau is currently in the process of examining the possibility of purchasing a new human resource planning software tool, since digitalising its administrative functions is an important part of a company’s approach to innovation.
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Luxinnovation contributes to the economic development of Luxembourg by fostering innovation, fuelling international growth and attracting foreign direct investment and is supported by: Ministry of the Economy, Ministry for Higher Education and Research, Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Luxembourg Chamber of Skilled Crafts and FEDIL – The Voice of Luxembourg’s Industry.