Category: Company

Key Account Manager Christopher Adam

Chris has been part of the spo-comm family for over 2 years. He joined us as a lateral entrant from the sheet metal industry and has since strengthened our sales team as Key Account Manager. We conducted an in-depth interview with Chris back then, which you can find here.

Network with Chris on LinkedIn

Sales & Product Management: Kim Seliverstov

Another member of our sales team is Kim. She started her training as an IT systems management assistant at spo-comm in 2020 and successfully completed it. In addition to her work in sales, she also supports our product management.  

Network with Kim on LinkedIn

 

From technology to sales: Erwin Seliverstov

Erwin is our new, old employee and colleague, so to speak. He completed his training as an IT systems electronics technician in 2017 and has been part of our support team ever since. He has now seized the opportunity and decided to take on the vacant position in our sales department.  

Network with Erwin on LinkedIn

 

Our sales team – consisting of Chris, Kim and Erwin – is there to support our customers and interested parties in all matters relating to our mini PCs, projects and everything that goes with them. You can reach us by phone or e-mail, or you can also write to us via our online contact form or via the corresponding LinkedIn profiles.

Company goals, new photos and barbecue party

Last Thursday, three things were on the agenda for the team event: our day at the spo-comm headquarters began with our various departments presenting to the others what is currently on their agenda. From website topics and product management projects to the conversion of our warehouse: it was very interesting for all of us.

Naturally, we in Marketing seized the opportunity and grabbed all our colleagues to update the photos on our website. We will let you know as soon as the photos are online!

Afterwards – in good old spo-comm style – there was of course a barbecue. During this “unofficial” part of the day, we were also visited by a few families and kids from our team. While they played in the mini pool, we were all able to enjoy the food, the weather and simply being together.

We look forward to more events like this in the future 🙂

You can find out more about our company events on LinkedIn:

spo-com on LinkedIn

2022 or: The year of challenges

Marketing: Hello you two and thank you for taking the time for our little interview again this year. To start with: Can you both summarize the year 2022 in 2-3 words or sentences?  

Michael Sporrer: In a nutshell: very challenging and yet successful. For me, it was the most challenging year in 20 years. Major topics were the shortage of components and the resulting difficulties with our supply chains, coupled with constant price increases. Thanks to our good planning and warehousing, we were able to reduce delivery times to a minimum, giving us enormous advantages over some of our competitors. The focus was very often on these topics. Internally, we have optimized many processes and procedures in order to be even more targeted and faster in meeting the needs of our customers  

Bernd Moosmüller: I would give the year 2022 the headline “Moving into new dimensions”. Our manpower has increased and we have supported many challenging projects. We have overcome many hurdles and tried to control external influences. All in all, I can only agree with Michael: In this year of transformation, we have grown a lot from the challenges.

Reunion with partners

Marketing: Thank you very much for your detailed insights. One more question about last year. What was the highlight for you?

Bernd Moosmüller: For me, it was that we could finally see our partners again. Live and not via a video conference. In fall 2022, we had a visit from MSI IPC at our headquarters after the pandemic break. The icing on the cake: We received the MSI IPC Award again this year.

Michael Sporrer: (reflecting) The whole year was a highlight. We have acquired great, long-term customers and have grown professionally and personally on many projects. It is particularly noteworthy that we were able to close the year very well despite many uncertainties and are looking ahead to 2023 with great optimism.

New products, product updates and consulting services

Marketing: What’s on the agenda for next year? What can our customers look forward to in 2023?

Michael Sporrer: There are definitely some exciting new products and product categories in the pipeline. Among other things, the MSI portfolio will receive updates and the RUGGED series will also see some action.

The RUGGED series

Bernd Moosmüller: In addition to the new products, we are already working on expanding our consulting services. We want our customers and interested parties to be able to get in touch with us more easily, for example when it comes to projects that require intensive consultation. There will be more information on this very soon.

Favorite PCs from Bernd and Michael

Marketing: That sounds very exciting, we’re looking forward to it. Speaking of products: What are your favorite PCs from the spo-comm range as of early 2023?

Michael Sporrer: Last year it was the KUMO V for me. Now it is definitely its successor model, the KUMO VI. The PC is simply not an off-the-shelf product, that’s what makes spo-comm special.  

Bernd Moosmüller: Still the WINDBOX II Pro.

On December 16, we were finally able to hold our annual Christmas party again. This time it was not at the spo-comm headquarters, but at Cucina Italiana in the heart of Nuremberg’s old town. Afterwards, we rounded off the evening with mulled wine at Café Rizzo.

We would like to thank everyone who attended and are already looking forward to the next Christmas party.

If you have already found your Mini-PC, then simply contact us!

Get in touch with us 

 

Please note: Due to our inventory, the last possible delivery date is 21.12.2022.

Until then, we wish you all a Merry Christmas, relaxing days and a Happy New Year.

We would like to thank our partners and customers as well as the entire team for their trust and cooperation. We look forward to spending another year with you and are already excited about all the projects and innovations that await us in 2023!

Marketing: Hello Patricia & congratulations on one year at spo-comm! How did you feel during this time?

Hello and thank you! Time has passed so quickly, so much has happened and changed, it feels like I’ve only just started here.  

On the whole, I was and am doing great at spo-comm! I get on really well with my colleagues, I can laugh a lot but also talk about serious topics and ask a lot of questions 🙂 I was welcomed with open arms right from the start – for which I am super grateful.  I’ve already learned so much for being fresh out of school and not yet familiar with working life, and I’m looking forward to broadening my horizons even more very soon.  

 

Marketing: You started with us as a student & now your apprenticeship starts in September. Why don’t you tell us a bit more about it?

With pleasure. I started a dual study program last year in October, after I had been doing an internship here at the company since August. At the beginning, I put my heart and soul into it, but at the end of January 2022, after a lot of thinking back and forth, I decided that studying was simply not the right path for me personally. 

After discussions with Michael and Bernd, who were both very understanding, it was clear that I – like Chiara – wanted to train as a marketing communications specialist at spo-comm. Despite failing my studies, I am very happy to have received so much understanding, encouragement and help from my colleagues. This is not a matter of course and has shown me: Everyone goes their own way and mine is definitely that of an apprenticeship!  

At the end of September, I’ll be at vocational school for the first time for two weeks and I’m already excited to see what impressions I’ll get there.  

 

Marketing: Of course we wish you all the best and look forward to working with you in the future ?  

P.S. Has your choice of favorite spo-comm PC changed?

No way! So far, the CORE 2 is and remains my personal number 1. As a computer at my workplace, it does an excellent job and I also like its design – clean but still chic, it fits my style perfectly and has all the necessary interfaces.  

Discover the CORE 2

Until then, we wish you a Merry Christmas, relaxing holidays and a Happy New Year.

We would like to thank all our partners and customers who have placed their trust in us again this year and look forward to many exciting projects in 2022.

In the meantime, discover the perfect Mini PC for your application

Our spo-comm Mini-PCs

Delivery capability, component shortages and a summary

spo-comm Marketing: Hello you two! Thank you for once again finding the time to look back on the year with us. Unfortunately, we can’t meet live in the meeting room this year either, only virtually, but let’s make the best of it. Tell us, how was 2021 for you?

Michael Sporrer: As nobody knew exactly how things would go this year, the order situation was initially unclear due to the past year. We had a premonition of what was to come in terms of component shortages and the pandemic, but nobody knew to what extent. In fact, the current shortage of components affects us more than the pandemic. Fortunately, this was already foreseeable towards the end of last year, which is why we were able to take good precautions and would like to thank our loyal customers. I am very satisfied with the year, we were able to implement many projects, start others and what I am particularly pleased about is that we were able to deliver throughout 2021. On the whole, the year went well despite a few hurdles and we can be proud of how we managed it.

Home office offer and team cohesion

Marketing: Unfortunately, we were not completely spared by Corona this year either – has the pandemic also left its mark this year?

Michael Sporrer: Of course, corona leaves its mark. On a personal level in particular, it became clear that this time is affecting many people. That’s why I’m all the more proud of the entire team and say “Thank you!” to all colleagues for your cooperation and team spirit, whether in the home office or on site!

The highlights from 2021 at spo-comm

Marketing: Was there a situation, event or project in 2021 that particularly stuck in your mind?

Michael Sporrer: We had a lot of interesting customer inquiries and projects this year. Whether “standard” requests or those that require image adjustments and a lot of support, there was something for everyone.  And of course our existing customers also play a major role. Due to the challenging circumstances, a great deal of exchange and dialog was necessary. For example, we were able to meet delivery deadlines and our customers continue to be very satisfied with us.

Bernd Moosmüller: But I was also particularly enthusiastic about internal projects. I was really impressed by what our team independently achieved in terms of further expanding key account management.  

2022 – new products and projects

Marketing: Your outlook for the new year. What can we look forward to and what are your goals for 2022?

Michael Sporrer: We have a lot planned for 2022 after last year’s rather poor performance in terms of new products. Many new interesting products are equipped with Intel’s 11th generation. There will be some successors, but also completely new models for new markets (marketing note: look forward to January when we present this product to you). Internally, we also want to achieve even more professionalization for the entire team by expanding the CRM system. Despite the difficult situation, we naturally want to continue to be able to deliver with good prospects. We are pleased that we can guarantee our customers framework agreements and reliable delivery dates in the new year.

Bernd Moosmüller: I think we can let the cat out of the bag at this point: There will definitely be successors to the WINDBOX III and the KUMO V. We will continue to focus on closer communication with customers and want to further strengthen our dialog with them, both virtually and on site. In addition, Windows 11 compatibility continues to play a major role, it is constantly being tested and we want to be able to offer the operating system (almost) seamlessly by the end of next year. Prices have always been stable over the last few years, but the shortage will make it a challenge to keep prices the same, so we will probably have to tweak them a little.  

The management’s favorite PCs

Marketing: The same question we normally ask you in our team introductions. Which is actually your favorite PC?

Bernd Moosmüller: I’m more of the traditional type, for me it’s still the WINDBOX II (Pro). A lot of things started with it, the design has remained unchanged for 13 years, it has been constantly adapted to the latest CPU standards and is still in demand and still in the portfolio, which I find very impressive.

Discover WINDBOX II Pro

Michael Sporrer: I love all my computers (laughs), so ours. Everyone has their charm. That’s a complex question, but of course the KUMO V stands out because it clearly has our signature look and content and is very impressive with the graphics unit at this size, so the KUMO is the PC I would choose for myself.

Discover the KUMO V

Marketing: Hello Patricia and welcome again to our team! Tell us how you are doing in our team?

Patricia: Thank you! I really have to say that I feel very much at home here, everyone is so welcoming and always ready to help. I settled in really quickly and immediately felt like I’d been part of the team forever. I was really relieved at first because, like probably everyone else, I had reduced my social skills to a minimum due to social distancing, but luckily I quickly got back into it. I am also super grateful that I was given so much trust from the very beginning and that I was allowed and able to complete tasks on my own quite early on.

Marketing: How did you find us as an employer in the first place?

Patricia: That’s actually quite a funny story… I knew from the beginning of my last school year that I wanted to do a dual study program and applied to my preferred university (the IU dual study program) in good time. The search for a practice partner turned out to be more difficult than expected. When I was on the verge of applying for an apprenticeship after all, my mom came up to me and told me that a friend’s company was looking for marketing staff. I immediately applied for a job here. Even after the first (albeit virtual) meeting, it was clear to me that this was where I wanted to be! Which fortunately worked out in the end.

Marketing: How do you study?

Patricia: A dual study program is a bit different from a “normal” study program as we know it. I am at the university two days a week and have lectures or the so-called self-learning phase, the other three days of the week I am here at the spo-comm headquarters and get to know each area bit by bit. The aim of the course is to be able to put what you have learned directly into practice so that you can memorize everything even better.

Marketing: What are your tasks during the time you work at spo-comm headquarters?

Patricia: My tasks are very different, but of course they are all part of marketing. I can help with product development, which is currently being optimized, and contribute my own ideas. I’ve also written a few blog articles and social media posts myself. And I have to say, I really enjoy everything!

Marketing: Last but not least, what is your favorite PC?

Patricia: Difficult question. I knew that this would be asked in the interviews and I thought about it in advance… It’s not so easy to pick a favorite from the wide selection. I actually ended up with the CORE 2. I’m a big fan of its clean look and the great selection of connections needed for digital signage applications. Why a digital signage PC? Everything in this field arouses my interest 100%, be it artificial intelligence or virtual reality, these areas offer so much potential and are so fascinating at the same time!

Discover the CORE 2

Marketing: Hello Maxim and thank you for taking the time to talk to us. So, how did you get on after starting your apprenticeship?

Maxim: Very good, thank you. Of course, I’ve only been here for just under a month and spent two weeks at vocational school, but the time I spent at the spo-comm was great. My colleagues welcomed me very well into the team.  

Marketing: That makes us happy. What are your tasks at spo-comm?

Maxim: I’ve actually been working on the mini PCs since day 1. Partly in service, but mainly in production. This allowed me to get to know our systems relatively well. The processes from incoming orders in Sales to shipping the finished Mini PCs were also explained to me in detail, so that I can already do a lot here independently.

Marketing: You seem to be very familiar with the PC world. Is that why you chose this apprenticeship?

Maxim: Yes, so to speak. I developed a general interest in PCs through computer games and became more and more interested in the technology behind them. In the end, I built my first PC myself when I was 15. Apparently I was already quite good at it back then, because as time went on, more and more friends, family and acquaintances approached me and asked for my help when they had problems with their PCs. When I started studying business administration after graduating from high school, I quickly realized that it just wasn’t the right thing for me. As I simply feel at home in IT, I looked around for an apprenticeship in this field.  

Marketing: And how did you come across spo-comm?

Maxim: The classic way is via an online job advertisement. I found the content and tasks very exciting. The website also really appealed to me, I liked the team and so I applied here.  

Marketing: We are also very happy to have you in our team ? You’ve already been to vocational school, how did you like it there?

Maxim: Well, the first two weeks of the first year were still a bit chaotic and full of new information. In general, however, I think that I will like the content in the individual subjects, such as “Application Programming” (AWP) or “IT & Technology”, when it really gets going.

Marketing: One final question: What is your favorite PC so far (even after such a short time)?

Maxim: So far, I would say that the BOX J4125 has grown on me the most. It is perfect for screwing, especially for beginners. It is clearly laid out and fairly easy to repair. I find it remarkable how much power is packed into such a small PC.

Discover the BOX PCs