“I’m also the user”
“The emergency medical services are the focus,” states Stefan Kühn, Product Manager and WEINMANN Emergency employee for the last six years. “Many of us come from the emergency medical services, and have dedicated our lives to emergency medical services.” His passion for the subject is plain to see. Before he joined WEINMANN Emergency in a customer service role four years ago, he worked full-time as a paramedic. He still works part-time for the Emergency Services Cooperation in Schleswig-Holstein (RKiSH) today, working one or two shifts a month. “That was absolutely no issue for WEINMANN Emergency. In fact, they were happy to see it.”
Stefan Kühn is impressed by his employer: “They see what every individual employee achieves.” He, for instance, was given the opportunity to switch to Product Management and then to Key Account Management. “Simply put, I have the chance to further develop myself here. That’s really great.”
He values the level of individual responsibility in his work, and his close collaboration with colleagues. “That’s the nice thing about WEINMANN Emergency. It’s a family. I’m committed to the culture and committed to the products.”
As a product manager, Stefan Kühn was responsible for one product line – for the complete product cycle from product development to the market launch, including market monitoring and development and competitor analysis. When asked about his favorite product, he responds immediately: “The suction device. I switched to product management just as the new suction device was being launched on the market."
Stefan Kühn strives for close collaboration with the customer. “We develop products, and demands products, that the customer should intuitively operate and like.” His own experience is a benefit. “I’m also the user.” That means he is quite certain about what the customer wants. His own background as a paramedic helps in that regard: “You see it from a completely different level. You’re simply on that wavelength, so your opinion is readily valued.”
His new role as a Key Account Manager will take him out into the wider world: “WEINMANN Emergency is active internationally, it goes way beyond borders. I will be traveling a lot.” He is looking forward to it, and is happy that he was given his new role in such a short space of time. “There’s a lot of trust and respect there. I like that.”