25 and 30 years – two proud anniversaries that we are celebrating this year.
Ralf Weissbaum
In 1993 Ralf Weissbaum joined the company in. As a banker, he learned the "Graf business" from the ground up and worked his way through all stations in the company before taking over the management in 1998.
Zarko Markovic
In 1998, Zarko Markovic had his first day of work with us as a printer. He soon switched to digital printing and has not left this department for 25 years. For us, Zarko is the "pioneer" of digital printing. His expertise and loyalty are indispensable
Zarko, can you briefly explain your "career" with us?
I well remember the first cordial conversation with Albert Weissbaum at the end of 1997. My first day at work was March 1, 1998. In the first few months, I worked in the paper warehouse, prepared paper for the offset printing presses, helped change printing plates and in further processing. I also worked on the folding machines and fed paper into the saddle stitcher, so I learned a lot about paper in a short space of time. As a trained electrical engineer, I was particularly interested in working on the printing presses, as they are filled with many electrical components. So I started training at the ZP101 in the fall of 1998. The digital printing department at that time was still together with prepress and CTP (computer-to-plate). I delivered paper and consumables there every day. In the winter of 1998, I noticed that orders for digital printing were increasing. That's why Albert and Ralf invited me to an interview and asked me if I would like to switch to the digital printing department. I was happy to accept.
You have been a very loyal employee for 25 years. What exactly do you associate with the company?
Trust. Even in the first few days at Staffel Druck, I noticed that Albert and Ralf had a lot of confidence in me. That motivated me a lot. I also made a lot of friends through my work and got to know a lot of nice people.
Ralf, you are now the managing director or owner. What position did you start in 30 years ago?
I started out in VID, Internal Sales, as we used to call this department.
Ralf, what has changed in the 30 years and what has perhaps even stayed the same?
Printing technologies have changed, and in several ways, especially digital printing, which is now a major competitor to offset printing, and automation in prepress and postpress. What has remained the same, however, is people's desire to receive personal support and advice.
What highlight do you remember from all these years?
I have been keeping statistics on all the digital printing systems I have worked with since 1998. This shows the total number of all copies or clicks. At the end of the year, I like to create an overview for the past year and pass it on to Ralf. There are now over 220 million copies or over 150 million sheets of A4. And since last year, I have been working with the third generation of the Weissbaum family - Albert, Ralf and Thierry.
Oh, I had many and some of them were very formative. On the one hand, there was the installation of black and white high-end digital printing in 1994, the basis of our current powerful digital production, our first film and printing plate setter from 1998, the change of our industry software from DOS to a Windows version in 2000 and the introduction of the editorial system and the first b2b webshop solution for our customers from 2008. Then there was the formative name change from Staffel Druck AG to Staffel Medien AG at the end of 2014 and a very strong signal was certainly the move from Staffelstrasse 12, the place where it all began in 1991.
Looking back now, what is the most important thing you learned during your time at Staffel Medien AG?
It was very important for me to know every detail of every new digital printing system that came into the company. This applies to the hardware, the production software and the various printing materials. This detailed knowledge is very important to ensure smooth production and to rectify any problems as quickly as possible.
Do not stand still. Many companies have disappeared or been bought up because they may have been able to read the changing times and the associated changes, but were unable to apply them to their existing or additional business areas, i.e. they were unable to make the leap into ongoing digitalization and automation for and with customers.
What is your personal wish for the future?
Working in peace and health until retirement.
I want interested and motivated employees who will continue to develop our company with Annette and me and create an environment in which we can continue to be satisfied and successful on the market in the future.
Last question, would you choose Staffel Medien AG again today - or would you rather do something completely different, for example as a chef or an astronaut?
Astronaut, if I'm given the same trust as I was in the squadron pressure.
As a chef I would probably have become overweight and as an astronaut I would have been too far away from my loved ones for too long. Joking aside, what I am able to live and enjoy today is unique for me and fills me with joy. Of course, everyday life is often no walk in the park - but it is in no other profession. It was my decision to switch to the gras business 30 years ago, and I certainly don't regret it. I have met many great people and successfully implemented projects with them, which enriches me. I would make the same decision again.