Category: Company

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

spo-comm Marketing: Hello Christopher and thank you for taking the time for a short interview. Tell us, how did you actually get into spo-comm?

Christopher: I was looking for a job because I wanted to move to Nuremberg for love. When I saw the job advertisement, it immediately appealed to me. I originally come from the sheet metal sector, but I’ve always found IT exciting. Even though, to be honest, I’ve hardly dealt with it before. I immediately stalked the website and was thrilled that the company has such a young team with a cool spirit. Everything seemed so friendly and open. I found the references and the product portfolio really exciting. Precisely because Mini PCs are not a standard product, but require a certain amount of explanation. That is quite a challenge. As the tasks in the job advertisement also matched my previous activities well, I simply applied at random. I’m a career changer, but I thought “take the risk or lose a chance”(laughs).

Marketing: We’re glad you took the risk. You just said you come from the sheet metal processing industry. What was your professional career like? What did you originally learn?

Christopher: Initially, I did a commercial apprenticeship as an industrial clerk at a façade construction company and worked mainly in sales during this time. However, I then left the company to do my vocational baccalaureate and then started a dual business studies program. Studying was my big goal and it was a good educational time. However, after just under a year I realized that it just wasn’t the right thing for me, as I already had a lot of practical experience, and I de-registered. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it ultimately led me to where I am now.

Marketing: And what happened next?

Christopher: First, I worked at my mother’s advertising agency for two months and helped her with sales. In the meantime, I got a job in a sheet metal processing company by chance. After initially working in work preparation and internal sales, I was given the opportunity to become sales manager after six months. I then worked in key account management for three years, looked after major customers, acquired new customers through cold calling and took care of the entire strategic and operational direction of sales. I also created marketing documents, maintained the homepage and looked after topics such as annual sales planning and calculation parameters.

Marketing: Wow, you really have a lot of experience. Nevertheless, you are now in a completely new industry. How did you get on with IT and mini PCs in the first two months?

Christopher: I’ve actually always been very interested in IT because it’s a growing industry in which I still see a lot of potential, for example in the field of artificial intelligence. In terms of spo-comm, I find it really exciting that there are so many different small mini PCs, which are always individually adapted to customer projects. But I have to be honest, my brain was pretty flooded at first. Both hardware and software are quite new to me. But my colleague Mustafa gave me really great training and prepared me for customer meetings. I was also able to learn a lot from problem cases and special customer requests, which forced me to do a lot of research myself.

Marketing: And you also had the difficulty of starting with us in the middle of the lockdown. We are all still mostly working from home. How did you fare during your induction?

Christopher: I thought it was really cool how well I was received by the team. I got to know my colleagues from Sales and Marketing beforehand in a team video call, which definitely made it easier for me to get started. Nevertheless, I was a bit tense and excited for the first few days. On the one hand, I had great respect for the change of industry, and on the other hand, starting a job in lockdown is not so easy for the company either. But everything went really well. I was perfectly equipped with a laptop, headset etc. from day one and could have worked completely from home straight away. However, I am mainly in the office at my own request and am also very grateful that I have the opportunity to do so. If I have any questions, I can simply go straight to my colleagues in Engineering and see the products in real life.

Marketing: It certainly makes a lot of things easier. How is the collaboration with your sales colleagues?

Christopher: Super! I’ve become a really big fan of Microsoft Teams. The colleagues carried out product training sessions with me and explained everything really well. It really felt like we were sitting right next to each other. They always have an open ear for questions and I can call them at any time if I have a problem. But I also think it’s great to get to know everyone personally over time. Of course, working from home minimizes the risk of infection, but I’m just a friend of the office. Fortunately, we can coordinate flexibly in sales so that not too many people are at spo-comm HQ at the same time and we can continue to comply with all social distancing rules.

Marketing: And how do you like it here at spo-comm?

Christopher: I like it very much. There is a really close team spirit and a lot of mutual support. Just as I had imagined.

Marketing: We are pleased to hear that. Then we now have our final question for you: Which is actually your favorite PC?

Christopher: Definitely the new BOX J4125, which we have just officially launched.

Marketing: And why do you think it’s so great?

Christopher:(totally enthusiastic) The BOX is simply incredible value for money. The customer really gets value for money. It is ultra small and still has a great interface layout. And it is suitable for so many areas. Simply a recommendable all-rounder.

Marketing: Our customers have something to look forward to. Thanks again for your time and welcome to the team!

Network with Christopher Adam on LinkedIn

Apart from a few technical difficulties – wrong Zoom passwords and, well, it took us a while to find our way around the pixel world – it was once again a great experience and showed us that such a series of events also works wonderfully virtually.

Internet of Things and B2B campaigns

We started on 14.7. with the presentation “Internet of Things – what opportunities does this technology offer us?”. Lisa Knab from Nürnberger Versicherung gave a vivid account of the potential offered by the Internet of Things in relation to Industry 4.0, mobility, health management and SmartHome. The latter in particular was explained in detail, also in relation to the insurance industry. After all, if I receive door, window and water sensors when I take out home contents insurance and can thus reduce or at best even avoid damage, both the policyholder and the insurance company will benefit in the end. We are excited to see what else will happen in the coming years.

Nuremberg insurance

In the afternoon, Theresa Steinbauer and Hanna Rose Matheis from UCS took us step by step into B2B campaign hell in their ironic and sarcastic presentation “Don’t burn your customer’s customers – A B2B Use Case” full of memes (we love memes!). Fortunately, not only was it explained how not to do it, but there were some good tips and we were able to take a few things away with us for our work.

UCS

The eCommerce Day

On Thursday, 15.7. was then called: eCommerce Day! A whole day dedicated to one of our favorite topics, which has now become a permanent fixture at the Digital Festival. In his keynote speech at the beginning, Stefan Peter Roos drew attention to the current difficulties: “Whoever has the goods has won”, because almost the entire industry is affected by delivery difficulties, delays and increased logistics costs. He recommended that the audience take the opportunity now to put everything to the test. Does the range still fit? Is the supply chain running? What about pricing and competition? This also includes increasing the IT expertise in the team and reviewing process agility in order to digitize and flexibilize as much as possible. Conversely, this means a lot of work for an industry that is largely benefiting from the coronavirus crisis, but is also facing new challenges.

We continued with Oliver Frings from Nexum AG and the exciting topic “Adieu Sales Funnel: How the path to the purchase decision is becoming increasingly complex and how we can respond to this”. In a very captivating way, Oliver told how he wanted to buy a new bike and was overwhelmed by the enormous choice of types and brands during his research, so that it was not easy for him to make a decision. Something that all of us are probably familiar with, and not just in relation to bicycles. He then explained which elements, such as social confirmation, expert opinions or availability, have a positive influence on the purchase decision and how it is possible to avoid giving customers a reason to look for alternatives during the purchasing process. Namely, by means of a learning AI that calculates at which point of the purchase decision the customer is, but also determines, based on previous behavior, whether a customer tends to read many or few emails and automatically sends emails with information or purchase incentives accordingly. A really interesting option for eCommerce, which will certainly be further developed in the future.

Nexum AG

This was followed by Anja Buchner from mr. pixel KG with the emotional topic “Emotional commerce – emotions in e-commerce”. She emphasized that there are no rational purchasing decisions and advocated focusing on the ESP (Emotional Selling Proposition), i.e. the emotional added value that a product offers, instead of the somewhat outdated USP. This is because people actively seek out good feelings and avoid negative ones, and emotions always take precedence over rational decisions. Anja recommended immersing yourself in the customer, asking yourself what their needs are, what their values are and what kind of person they are.

As the SEO presentation in the afternoon was unfortunately canceled, we listened to Stefan Wacker and Janine Kreienbrink’s (CXdoing) presentation “Customer Experience: Everyone is talking about customer centricity – and it’s up to you!”. They emphasized the topic of customer centricity and how important it is that the customer journey connects all departments. After all, every contact that customers have with a company counts and everything has to run smoothly, even small things like a change of address. One-off action is also useless, but it is important to keep working on topics, which is why they rely on the CX loop. The aim is to find allies, because customer experience is not conceived in a quiet room, to deliver hard facts (key figures), to integrate customer experience into all processes and decisions and to make the customer experience visible and tangible for everyone. If all employees of a company are on board and work together to offer customers the best possible experience, the corporate culture will also change for the better in the long term.

CXdoing

In what was for us the last presentation of the eCommerce Day, mr. pixel KG posed the question “eCommerce – is it catching on?”. The two discussed the differences and similarities between online and offline retail in an interesting, sometimes almost humorous way. It also addressed the opportunities and risks associated with e-commerce, for example through the tracking of customers using cookies. A successful conclusion to this informative day.

mr. pixel KG

New Work and social sustainability

In between all the eCommerce topics, there was another interesting presentation on Thursday by Marilena Bluhm and Rainer Schubert, who are responsible for the development of new working environments at DATEV EG. Topic: “Work from anywhere – How will we work in the “new normal” in the future?”. It was very interesting to see how a company like DATEV deals with topics such as working from home, coworking spaces, etc. – which also exist at spo-comm to some extent, and not just because of the pandemic. We are curious to see how the whole thing will develop for us. One thing’s for sure: we’d love to have a colleague who invites us all to her farm to work from home and have lunch together!

We will then deal with a completely different topic on Monday, 19.7. when Claudia Lazai and Carolin Mehnert, also from DATEV EG, reported on “Social sustainability as a corporate strategy”. They talked about the company’s focus on diversity and sustainability and how these topics are communicated to employees, for example through action weeks. It was particularly interesting to see what goals they set themselves and where there is still an acute need for action, such as further promoting diversity in management positions or drawing up their own inclusion agreement. They also emphasized how important it is for managers at various levels to act as multipliers and role models by using and communicating the offers themselves. All in all, it was a really exciting topic from which we, as a medium-sized company, were able to gain some inspiration.

DATEV EG