Meet Clarissa Maier

In the groove was happy to chat with Clarissa Maier, Head of Customer Service for the food, water, beverage, chemical processing and automation segments at our Customer Solution Center in Stuttgart, Germany, about how her role at Trelleborg supports a global but local focus.

ITG: What does a typical day at work look like for you?

CM: My role at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is to take care of my team, and consequently take care of our customers. A typical day usually begins with a team meeting and continues with calls, emails and specific topics needing my attention. When times are less busy, I look to optimize our business processes to provide high quality products and services to our customers, before and after a sale.

ITG: How do you and your team support our customers in their daily business?

CM: Trelleborg is highly customer-focused, so my team goes the extra mile in assisting with our customers' special requests. We serve customers in very demanding segments, so our products need to meet high standards of cleanliness, as well as complying with stringent standards and regulations. In addition to ensuring our products and services meet such requirements, we make sure the supply chain works smoothly, provide quotations and follow-up on incoming inquiries. I step in whenever a challenging situation arises and my team requires additional support.

ITG: How do you interact with your colleagues globally to provide solutions for customers around the world?

CM: We work together with teams in other Customer Solution Centers on global key accounts. Another example of our collaboration is when it comes to satisfying customer demands or new projects developed in Germany, which are transferred to a different customer location at a later stage. The Customer Solution Center in Germany is specialized in a wide variety of market segments, so we offer our expertise and support to other Customer Solution Centers on a regular basis.

ITG: What is your favorite thing about working in the Customer Solution Center in Stuttgart?   

CM: We have a state-of-the-art facility, which promotes work-life balance by offering a fitness room, a small library, a family space and a relaxation room, for example. But I'd say my favorite part is having research and development, supply chain management, sales, finance and IT all in one location.

ITG: How would you describe Germany to someone who has never visited the country before?

CM: It's hard to describe somewhere so diverse; there are big differences between North and South, East and West, but I guess what applies to all of Germany is our love of beer and bread, and our appreciation for rules, except on the autobahn, of course. We are a hard-working nation, and even though our cities are pretty crowded, the countryside with its castles and forests is beautiful. By the way, did you know 65% of the autobahns in Germany have no speed limit?