Interview with Renaud Gey

Interview with Renaud Gey, Vice President Strategic Marketing & Product Management GBU Professional Coffee Machines.

What makes your brand unique? 

Renaud Gey: At WMF, the claim to market leadership also goes hand in hand with premium quality.

What began in 1853 with a metalware factory in southern Germany is now a global brand that stands for “Made in Germany” and the virtues of German Engineering like no other: Innovation, precision, function and performance packaged in iconic design.

We have a long tradition of German engineering, craftsmanship and attention to detail. The promise “Designed to Perform” emphasises that every WMF professional coffee machine is conceived to provide outstanding technical performance, ensuring results and the reliability WMF customers desire.

This customer-centric approach can be found in all WMF machine categories – from fully automatic machines and automatic portafilter solutions to fully automatic filter machines. Research, development and production is all concentrated in Geislingen, which has become a centre of excellence for professional coffee machines. 

When it comes to quality, our ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications are only the start. Our reputation depends on using the highest-grade materials and the most advanced technology, and providing extensive, personalised service to ensure every machine provides a long life of reliable performance.

Since 1853 WMF has also stood for innovation, as witnessed by our numerous patents and awards. Our approach represents a symbiotic combination of outstanding products, services and digital solutions.

Therefore, they are not only the driving force for process improvements and revenue increases in the day-to-day business of the customers. They also represent a highly agile innovation culture, which WMF passes on to their customers through new impulses.

Besides the unique innovation culture, WMF customers benefit from largest in-house service organisation for professional coffee machines in Europe. Regular training at the WMF training centres ensures that this know-how is continuously passed on to WMF’s entire global service network. With over 800 of its own service employees across eleven countries and a further 100 service partners, WMF is in a position to supply comprehensive services to the highest levels of quality in every corner of the world.

As a conclusion: In our holistic solution approach we commit to offer a seamless premium experience by combining coffee excellence, reliable solutions and a unique service. Whether in-home or out-of-home, no other manufacturer can claim to be Germany ́s No. 1 quality brand. 

 

What are the latest trends and how are you responding to them? 

Gey: If we look at international needs, our customers are increasingly demanding connected concepts. Utilisation from all areas of the coffee business, sales, processes and cost structures can be significantly optimised with the help of intelligent data.

Of course, this starts with the machines and their application concepts, continues with sales and procurement processes, and even includes service and maintenance processes for fully automatic coffee machines. Therefore, one of the main building blocks of our digital roadmap is the telemetry solution WMF CoffeeConnect.

More and more companies are connecting and analysing their machines with the help of WMF CoffeeConnect and then systematically optimise their operational and strategic business decisions. With a connected base above 70,000 machines worldwide, WMF has most probably established one of the largest telemetry network in the coffee industry.

Besides other elements of the digital roadmap like the integration of 3rd party applications via API, WMF also focuses on different functional packages like “WMF Self-Payment Solutions” and “WMF SmartRemote”.

WMF SmartRemote offers a contactless ordering and preparation process. Users scan the QR code on the coffee machine display with their smartphone and can then conveniently place their beverage order on a mobile device. This “no human touch approach” is not only efficient and modern, but above all hygienic and secure.

But WMF also offers a completely new digital experience – for example the WMF PhotoSimu App, that allows customers to experience the WMF coffee machine range in 3D. Moreover, WMF just recently launched its own virtual showroom offering a new digital experience in a class of its own. The audiovisual presentations within it allow visitors to take a tour around WMF´s entire world of professional coffee machines.

  

How have you adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic? 

Gey: The pandemic and the associated restrictions, such as the lockdowns, naturally have a serious impact on our customers and partners, particularly in the HoReCa sector, and thus also on the global food industry. At the same time – due to the hygiene regulations – the demand for offerings such as contactless services or our digital solutions is growing.

So thanks to our strong innovation capabilities we have quickly reacted and adapted our offer to customer needs in a changing environment – for example our mobile or self-payment solutions or the contactless ordering and preparation service via WMF SmartRemote.

The need for digital offerings has also been demonstrated by our virtual consulting products. During the last few months, we have seen an increase in downloads of our WMF PhotoSimu app – a growth that has certainly been boosted by the pandemic.

Finally, the app allows us to realistically display our portfolio of machines and additional equipment using augmented reality technologies. This makes it easier for customers to select the right machine for them, even without a personal consultation.

New consulting and communication approaches, enabled by our new virtual showroom or our participation at the digital Internorga event this year, were also of particular importance to us.

In addition, we focused on new leasing and financing models to accommodate our customers and partners in these uncertain times. Beyond that, our strong worldwide presence and business size allow us also to catch new opportunities in many countries less impacted by the crisis thanks to our products and services.

 

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