On February 01 2021 Christian Loidolt took over the management and the chair of the management board of PE Automotive GmbH & CO. KG in Wuppertal. Together with longtime managing director Markus Seitz he wants to move the business operations of the truck parts wholesaler forward. We introduce Christian Loidolt and dig deeper.
Mr. Loidolt, what was your first official act in the new position?
My first act was to get to know our employees personally.
How would you describe your management style?
I would say, a deliberately chosen mix – depending on the situation. A sincere appreciation of employees and a positive prevailing mood should never be missing – if suitable, with a dash of humor.
How do you relax after a stressful workday?
Very different. Either a little bit of sports, for example running. Also with a comfortable dinner or a drink with family and friends. Or also by going for a walk. Depending on the situation and mood.
Are you a political person?
Yes, definitely. At the end of the day, we as citizens in our society have the possibility to help determining our future way of life with our voices. I use that and this is why I am interested in politics.
Which hobbies do you pursue?
Skiing and snowboarding in the winter, running or biking in the summer, but preferably ball sports like soccer or volleyball, if possible.
What challenges is the truck service industry facing from your point of view?
I think, the future challenge of the truck service industry is, as well as in other sectors, the advancing digitalization and connection. Additionally, the strong dependence on OEMs as well as the advancing changes in the drive area, which is not existent this way in other sectors.
What do you think about alternative drives, for example battery-electric trucks or trucks with fuel cells?
I think for the future it is important to keep on forcing different types of drive and to keep open basic conditions for different environmentally sound types of drive. The opener, the easier it is to innovate with different drives. Since there will be more different requirements in logistics and environmental protection in the future, we will need these innovations and different drives. (Keyword: Last Mile versus long-distance traffic). Our owner, the BPW Group, shows this very impressive with the launch of their own e-truck.
How will the demand for truck parts develop in this regard?
The demand for parts will be market-oriented as ever, which means on all vehicles that go into production. It can already be estimated, that the classic demand for wear parts will change and that there will be a higher demand for electronic parts.
The parts market is price-sensitive. Truck manufacturers sometimes also offer original parts at interesting prices. What do you oppose to this development?
At the end of the day the truck and any related periphery is a pure economic good. This is the difference to the passenger car market. That means, as long as we can offer our customers an alternative part after the first circle of an original part, (Keyword: fair value spare parts solutions) to very good quality, a high availability, a very good full service by our employees and a cheaper price than a classic original part, our business model works. This exact business model is based on decades of our experience in product development, our reliable relationships to our partners, our very good logistics and not least our competent, innovative and enthusiastic employees – across all business units.
What differentiates PE Automotive from competitors?
As above mentioned, a lot and especially our competent employees.
PE Automotive is among other things active in the Truck-Grand-Prix in the course of the FIA ETRC. What does your engagement include?
We are committed to the Team T-Sport Bernau. This relationship already exists for many years and is characterized by mutual appreciation. Our commitment is a total package. It especially includes, that the team uses our parts for their races and thus prove the performance and quality of the parts under toughest conditions.
Be honest – what annoyed you the most and what made you happy recently?
What annoyed me the most recently were the qualifying matches for the soccer world cup 2022 of the Austrian national team. I was most happy about the cross-sectoral and uncomplicated approach of our management team while solving a special challenge.
Christian Loidolt (40) comes from Styria in Austria and after his commercial education he started his career in the sales force at Würth Austria. In the following years, he held national management positions in the Würth-Group in Germany.
Most recently Loidolt took responsibility for the Austrian, Swiss and Slovenian markets as manager and country manager of RS Components, the brand of Electrocomponents.
After his first professional years, he finished an in-service bachelor’s programme with focus on “Sales and Marketing” as well as an in-service master programme with focus on “Controlling”. Christian Loidolt is married and father of two sons.
PE Automotive GmbH & Co. KG
Tanja Nelis
Head of Marketing
Telephone: +49 202 94 798 170
E-mail: tanja.nelis@pe.de
Further information under:
www.pe.de
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