materialfluss: How has 2021 gone for SWF Krantechnik so far?

Christian Heid: 2021 is a special year for us. SWF will be 100 years old. At the same time, it is a year of major challenges due to the pandemic, which we have successfully overcome. The recovery and increasing investments have had a positive impact on our domestic and international business. Globally, the coronavirus situation remains uncertain and very varied. On the one hand, this is leading to very rapid reactions, but on the other hand to delays. Material bottlenecks have led to adjustments to processes and delivery times. Experts expect the bottlenecks to become even more acute this quarter. The jumps in prices for raw materials and purchased parts were remarkable, have weakened and are currently remaining at a high level. In some areas, there are signs of a slight easing towards the end of the year. We would not have wished for an anniversary under these conditions. Nevertheless, we have accepted the challenge.

mfl: What can materialfluss readers expect on the product or service side in the coming year? What innovations do you want to score points with?

Heid: SWF has a positive outlook for 2022. We expect costs and prices to calm down for us and our partners. Bottlenecks will only ease slowly and will continue to be on the agenda in 2022. Despite this outlook, we will continue to develop and expand our portfolio and our range of services. There will be innovations in our wire rope and chain hoists and their options. We are taking further steps in remote monitoring, Industry 4.0 options and functionalities. We are also focusing on expanding our partner program and extending our partner network worldwide. We are continuing our training program and offering new elements. Finally, we expect to be able to hold face-to-face discussions again with many partners with whom we have only been in contact online for a long time and to meet up at events.

The interview appeared in materialfluss 11-12/21.