Industry perspectives on 2020 – Continental | Automotive Industry Interview

Frank Petznick, Head of Business Unit Sophisticated Driver Help Techniques at Continental

In these remarkable situations, we have achieved out to parts of the world-wide auto market for perspectives on latest worries and a take on potential clients for 2021. In unique, we needed to get a vary of perspectives and viewpoints. In this newest in the series we are publishing this month, we hear from Frank Petznick, Head of Business Unit Sophisticated Driver Help Techniques at Continental.

j-a: 2020 was a pretty unforgettable year for all people and for all types of explanations. In your business enterprise, what stand out as the largest worries you confronted this year?

FP: For us as an automotive supplier the to start with lockdown in March and the ensuing interrupted source chains had been the largest worries we had to overcome. Of study course, the improvement could go on with some small restrictions, but without the possibility to provide our solutions, cashflow was turning into an difficulty very rapid. Many thanks to an agile firm we had been able to adapt ourselves fairly rapid to this new circumstance and could set up the source chain appropriately without a very extensive brake.

j-a: What did you learn that you did not expect to learn?

FP: That it is attainable to direct a world-wide crew of a numerous thousand people today without travelling close to the world a several situations.

j-a: And as we come to the conclude of the year and on the lookout back again on it, can you summarise how you really feel?

FP: The year 2020 has shown us how critical cohesion and solidarity are in our culture. Only with popular values and an all for one a different spirit had been we able to master the worries of the coronavirus pandemic and adjust to the new ordinary. Most impressive for me was how rapid we all had been able to adapt to this never ever ahead of witnessed situation and what we had been all able to obtain regardless of a world-wide pandemic.

j-a: Specifically on potential clients for 2021. It is really clearly an uncommon time in the context of the uncertainties forward for all of us, but can you say one thing about how you are approaching the new year?

FP: We have acquired a large amount in the past year about our possibilities to cope with enormous and unforeseen worries in all regions of our life. With this in intellect and the understanding that creativeness is pushed thanks to the new situations we have to offer with, I am optimistic that 2021 will offer us possibilities to return to a existence we all can glance forward to.

j-a: Do you have a message for the visitors?

FP: Even in a year like 2020 that pushed us way out of our convenience zone, it is critical that we maintain solidarity as the fundament of our culture alive.  If we do so, I am optimistic that we will be able in 2021 to overcome all hurdles on the way back again to a ordinary situation in our personal as nicely business enterprise life.