Introducing Johannes Spatz, President of Panasonic Industry Europe. He has been with Panasonic Industry Europe for over 20 years and has unified and helped the company to evolve under a strong brand in a truly diverse continent.
Panasonic Industry Europe is part of the Panasonic Industry Company belonging to the global Panasonic Group. Established from various roots and companies today Panasonic Industry Europe is present in 16 European countries, counting almost 1,000 employees and driving innovation to consult, design-in and supply a wide range of technologies such as passive and electro-mechanical components, batteries and energy devices, automation devices and systems to various industries including mobility, infrastructure, home & living, production & logistics, and healthcare.
Mr. Spatz playing the guitar at the company's Christmas concert
Described as an open and embracing leader who thoroughly embodies Panasonic Industry's new brand slogan "Your Committed Enabler" in his leadership style, Johannes is known for always taking the time to meet new joiners at the company or performing at the Christmas party with his guitar, where he was enthusiastically cheered on by his colleagues. An inclusive leader who incorporates all generations in his team, the President has a firm eye on the future and has demonstrated his long-term vision by founding the Panasonic Campus Munich, where the prestigious Technical University Munich has rented working, teaching and learning spaces as well as labs. Here we hear more from Johannes on his vision for Panasonic Industry Europe.
Panasonic Campus Munich - where technology comes alive
The idea for a technical campus first came about in 2019 and I envisioned this to not only be a place for collaboration between the various Panasonic entities, but also with external companies of our business partners. Today, Panasonic is based here. However, it also houses external businesses, engineering laboratories, our experience center and a faculty from the Technical University Munich. The campus aims to promote innovation and collaboration - which to me go hand in hand. No innovation without collaboration and no collaboration without competencies - once you have an idea, collaboration with others is essential to bring about innovation. The campus is a fertile meeting point for engineers and students to create new ideas and inventions, where people can recharge, and engage in enriching exchanges. It also helps to draw in talents from Munich and further afield in spite of the highly competitive labour market.
Panasonic Industry's new brand slogan: Your Committed Enabler
Your Committed Enabler clearly shows the direction that Panasonic Industry Europe is taking and our aspirations as a business partner to our customers. Europe is an extremely diverse continent consisting of 47 countries with different cultures, languages, and currencies, and so there is always the need to balance a local approach with a regional focus. Over the last 20 years, we have strengthened our brand image and messages and minimized confusion by unifying under the Panasonic brand. The new brand slogan aims to solidify our commitment to helping our customers achieve their future aspirations.
Sustainable management
As a business, we are assessed by metrics such as profits and turnover. However, besides these short-term KPIs, I would like to draw attention to a wider and more all-encompassing style of management and leadership, known as "sustainable management". Sustainability performance will no doubt be a crucial future requirement of "success" and we are already actively incorporating measures to improve our sustainability performance into the way we do business, such as reducing CO2 emissions. It is also a leader's responsibility to consider how to develop the next generation, and how to build a company that is fit for the next generation. We are becoming increasingly aware of how significantly social and environmental factors influence our personal lives and work. Workstyles have changed dramatically in recent years, and I am aware of my responsibility as a leader to make sure that we can accommodate these changes for younger generations as well as foster collaboration and a sense of belonging.
The mega trends driving market changes over the next 10 years
Looking at the next 10-15 years from a business perspective, it is paramount we continue to improve our reputation and contribute to the market and our customers. Even though we can't predict the future, we must be ready as a business. I will pay significant attention to the mega trends - the forces that will have a global and long-term impact to the world - foremost the trends in society, environment and technologies, because such trends will impact and change the markets and industries we are working in. As a consequence the way we do business will change as well which requires agile and hybrid organization models and an ambidexterity management style.
For example, digital transformation, which features the deployment of data intelligence and artificial intelligence is a mega trend that has already become deeply entrenched in the economy and wider society. However, in order to examine the future impact, it will have on businesses and consumers, and in turn where we will need to invest, we must first fully understand the challenges and opportunities.
One consequence that has become clear is that business value chains will be slimmed down or even be eliminated and will emerge the need to coalesce the platform eco system, which will likely lead to a wealth of collaborations of different competencies, different companies and organizations in an increasingly digitized and hybrid way of working.
There is no way of accurately predicting the future. However, we must be prepared, and I look forward to exchanging ideas and opinions with our customers and business partners, colleagues and students here on our Panasonic Campus Munich and elsewhere.
Find out more about Panasonic Industry Europe and the Panasonic Campus Munich
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