Change Meets Constancy
Árpád Juhász has been working at the Balluff site in Veszprém, Hungary, for more than 26 years. His focus: customer proximity.
When Árpád Juhász talks about his work, he does so with a smile. The Head of Sales & Marketing Balluff Hungary loves his job. You realise it immediately when you listen to him – and also when you take a look at his professional life.
Juhász has been working at Balluff Elektronika Kft, the Hungarian site of the sensor and automation specialist in Veszprém, for more than 26 years. The Head of Sales & Marketing never wanted to move to another company. After all, his career at the sensor and automation specialist has also been characterised by many changes.
A Company with a Clear Vision
It is January 1998 and Árpád Juhász is a qualified electrical engineer with several years of professional experience, including in the retail sector. The young man is looking for a permanent position in which he can prove himself and grow. During his interview with Balluff, he realised that he had come to the right place.
“Balluff has always been a company that you could trust, with a clear, long-term vision of the direction it wanted to take. And that hasn’t changed to this day,” says the now 52-year-old. What struck him most at the time was the high level of professionalism. “As a newcomer, I was able to ask any development engineer questions and always received support – from both my German and Hungarian colleagues.”
The Team is Growing
His basic technical knowledge and sales mindset help Juhász to quickly settle into his new position. Sales at Balluff Elektronika Kft. was still in the initial phase with just one other colleague. Árpád Juhász became the first regional sales representative and travelled all over the country as a technical consultant visiting customers.
“Initially, the Hungarian market was driven by German investments”, summarizes Árpád Juhász. Over the years, the team grew and the territories were divided geographically. Small regions such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland were followed by the German market. English becomes the company language – and Balluff Elektronika Kft. becomes part of the large European region. Today, five technical consultants work in the sales department in Veszprém. Juhász himself has been head of the now 15-strong sales team since 2009.
“Technical sales is a very complex business in which results are not immediately visible,” says Árpád Juhász who was born in Veszprém. “But we have shown patience and trust and have constantly driven development forward. We can now look back with pride on a significant increase in growth year after year. Our technical support team provides our customers with professional support for their individual processes.” This is important because Balluff’s broad product portfolio is used in numerous areas – from maintenance to development.
A Broad Network of Contacts
Customer proximity – this quickly becomes clear – is a topic that is particularly close to the heart of the Head of Sales & Marketing Hungary. “At the end of the 1990s, our main task was to familiarise customers with sensor technology. Our role was not only sales, but also training,” he recalls.
Building up a broad network of contacts was therefore all the more important. To this end, he often invited customers to Veszprém so that they could see the production conditions for themselves. A measure that he still likes to use today – especially with customers who do not yet know Balluff very well.
26 Years Have Flown By
Changes, or rather, openness to precisely these changes: This has been a recurring theme throughout Árpád Juhász’s career. The husband and father of two young adults is also active in his free time – by playing and watching football, for example. “I also enjoy reading books and watching informative videos.” When he looks back on the past 26 years at Balluff today, he says that they have flown by. Countless challenges and exciting tasks included.
For example, there was the increasing competition in Hungary in the field of sensor technology, which also had an impact on sales in the company. The solution from Balluff Elektronika Kft: an ‘internal’ sales colleague who keeps in touch with customers from Veszprém and regularly enquires about their needs. This has increased satisfaction, especially among smaller customers. “Balluff’s philosophy is to offer the same first-class level of service to its partners all over the world, regardless of the size of the company,” explains Juhász.
The Faces Behind the Company
Another development that has had an impact on business processes has been the increasing digitalisation – for example in the form of a modern web shop.
“Twenty years ago, we were expected to produce printed catalogues, but today nobody asks for them anymore,” says Árpád Juhász and laughs. But whether digital or analogue: For the Head of Sales & Marketing Hungary, it is still crucial to show his customers the faces behind Balluff.
“You can buy anything online these days. There is so much on offer, which creates price competition. The question is: what else can we offer as a company so that people will continue to choose us in the future?” says Juhász. “If they get the right level of professional support, they will come to us. Our approach to customers is to respond to their needs and provide them with our expertise in application consulting – from pre-sales to technical after-sales service.”
Despite all the changes, Árpád Juhász has never regretted his Balluff constant in life. “I’ve often been asked why I never wanted to move to another employer. And yes, there have been cautious enquiries.” However, he never felt the real urge to move on.
“At Balluff, I regularly witnessed and accompanied many developments – and therefore also changes. And I got to know many companies. I never had the feeling that I would find a better place. That’s why I’ve never regretted staying.”