Ralf Weissbaum
Managing Director
Albert Weissbaum
Founder
Staffel Medien AG - as what do you see you the company?
No, I can't remember ever thinking that I wanted to do something else. The decision to found this company was the right one. And I think Ralf sees it that way too.
Yes, no question. And in my case, I was already doing something else before I joined the company. I was a banker, looked after private customers and most recently helped corporate customers to automate their payment transactions. Then, in 1993, his father called and asked: "We have a vacancy, would you like to join us?"
Was that really such an open question back then or was there more to it?
At the back of my mind, of course, was the idea that Ralf could take over the company one day.
But it was important to me that I could join the company as an employee - not as a son and designated successor. That way I could see if I really enjoyed this work. I have always been fascinated by the printing industry. The mixture of technology and art, i.e. text and image. I then absorbed everything in the company. And so it was that I was soon fully in the swing of things, solid and able to deliver my own performance.
How did the company come about in the first place?
I took over as Head of Sales in the Jean Frey Group in 1989. I was hired by the CEO at the time, Beat Curti. He was a key figure, as he was the one who soon encouraged me to take over the in-house print shop. On February 19, 1991, we concluded the deal with a handshake after just one hour of talks. This is how the company "Staffel Druck", today's "Staffel Medien AG", came into being. It all started on June 1, 1991, with over 30 employees. And on the same day, I brought Adi Brischle, one of my sales staff, on board as a partner. That was important for me, because it was a big task to shoulder.
And how did the handover to the son go later?
It was a smooth, gradual process. In 1998 - when I had been working in the company for five years - my father and I prepared the handover of the staff for the year 2000. So I was able to grow into this role over the years. Even if it wasn't always easy - as the son of the founding father, but not by trade, not a black artist.
Yes, but you really grew into it very quickly.
Were you really able to let go after the handover and let your son be?
laughs You'd better ask Ralf.
That also went smoothly. My father still had an office in the company for a few years and looked after individual customers. But he had nothing more to do with the day-to-day business - and he didn't talk me into it either. He also said quite clearly that he would vacate the office immediately if it was needed elsewhere. In 2006 the time had come, a new salesman arrived and my father vacated his office.
Yes, and without pain. Because I knew that the business was in good hands with Ralf.
How did you get into the printing business in the first place?
I grew up in Wollerau and was often near the local print shop as a child. I played there, sometimes looked in from the outside, then at some point I went in because I liked it all so much: the paper, the machines. As an adolescent, I was able to earn a bit of money as an unskilled worker in the print shop to supplement our meagre household budget. In the end, I completed my apprenticeship there. as a typesetter.
What do both papers mean to you?
Paper is something incredibly important. You can use it to pass on a message. And the paper as a carrier can reinforce this message. By the way, I like uncoated, unsatinized paper best, it simply feels better.
Yes, when I write something very personal, by hand with my fountain pen, I also use a nice paper that is pleasant to the touch. So paper is also important to me in my private life. And in the store anyway. We have long attached great importance to the quality of the paper. Twenty years ago, we started using particularly good paper and techniques that minimize the impact on the environment.
Your industry is undergoing major ongoing changes. What does it take to keep pace over decades?
I think we benefited from the fact that I wasn't a black artist. So I didn't grow up in the graphic design industry. This allowed me to bring other elements and different ways of thinking into the company. This is another reason why we found a good way of dealing with IT early on, with what is now called digitalization.
Yes, digital printing, we were the second print shop in Switzerland to do this. This has become our bread and butter, a successful branch.
But we also do a lot of other things to keep up with the times. Back in 2009, for example, we started to automate the production of printed materials with a web store solution for our customers. That was a stroke of luck, because we have since been able to build most of our processes on the expertise we needed for this.
Which projects are now in the foreground?
We want to offer even more in terms of content. Working with customers to create the content they want to visualize on paper or digitally. There are so many SMEs that have a need here. They always need professionally produced new content with which they can present themselves and their products.
or services.
But this is not their core competence. That's why we want to provide them with even better support in creating their content in the future. Another important aspect is the editorial system that we can set up and operate for customers who want to work on a publication in a networked team from any location. This can also be increasingly useful in homeof ce situations. We want to go on the offensive in our anniversary year.
What else will 2021 bring us? Last year, "Staffel Medien AG" showed itself to be almost prophetic with its New Year's card, which wished customers and partners "Xsundheit".
The pandemic will remain a major issue, as we all know now. "Xsundheit 2.0" in other words. And then, of course, dealing with the economic consequences of the pandemic. This will also challenge us. But I am confident: we have a team that I can be proud of. Experienced professionals who are flexible and open enough to constantly develop themselves and their performance. Because that is what we would like to do for another 30 years - or even more: to be part of the further development of our customers as a solid and innovative business partner.