The automotive industry has been with me all my life. Right after my engineering studies, I worked for a tooling company that supplied parts for casting machines. So, I looked at the big manufacturers and chose Bühler because they made me a good offer. At that time, I thought I would stay for a few years and then move on. That was in 1987. As a service engineer, I spent many years on installations myself, so I know the business from the bottom up. Even today, I get in the overall and help with commissioning or repairs when needed. That’s my style, even as a salesperson. Building trust in our industry is not easy. The investment sums are high, and everyone is calculating tightly. If customers see that I know every screw, every hose, every component, that creates a lot of trust. Persistence also helps a lot. For example, we managed to convince a Japanese customer to buy our solution again, even though they had bad experiences with Bühler in the past. Of course, we have already had bigger and more complex projects, but in our industry, getting someone back is a great art – one of the greatest successes of my career. Together with my team, I want our customers to be the most successful in the market with our solutions. And I want our customers to see and feel this commitment.
I still love my job as much as the day I started. I like the mix of high-tech solutions that provide the mobility of tomorrow, coupled with machines that weigh tons, the noise and a lot of heat. Our customers produce parts that even children could clearly say belong to a car. And just a few minutes before, that part was just molten aluminum that was over 600 degrees hot. I’m on the road a lot. Sometimes I can still identify which parts of a car were cast on our machines. But to be honest, there are too many for me to count them all. Traveling to our customers doesn’t bother me at all. That’s what makes my work so varied. I don’t have to work in the same place every day. I see different people, hear about their challenges, see different factories, products, and processes. I bring that experience to the table to work together to find the best solutions.
What is somewhat missing in my professional travels are the beauties of a country. Factory, hotel, then airport or car again. That’s often all I see. That’s why I like to travel with my wife. Over the years, we have traveled far and wide. We have been to the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands, the US, and most European countries. One of our next trips will be to the Nordic countries – my sales territory, but from a different angle.
In our industry, getting someone back is a great art – one of the greatest successes of my career.
Jeremy Mitchell,
Head of Die Casting Northern Europe
I am a big family man. What I miss on my business trips, I make up for as best I can. My wife Nicola and I have three boys and I am very proud of them. My oldest, Elliot, works as an assistant manager in a theater in Birmingham – that was always his dream, and he made it come true. My middle one, Owen, has just finished his law degree and is now working in a law firm not far from where I live. And my youngest, Liam, is still studying business administration. My family finds my profession exciting. And yet we don’t have another engineer in our family. I don’t mind at all; they have all found their happiness. What bugs me more is that as a former rugby player and die-hard fan, I couldn’t spark a fire in any of them. They have all become footballers.
We don’t have another engineer in our family. I don’t mind at all; all my boys have found their happiness.
Jeremy Mitchell,
Head of Die Casting Northern Europe
Gupfenstrasse 5
Uzwil
9240
Switzerland
