Darleen Wagner, Head of Marketing at Eurotec, discusses the increase of digitalisation within the industry, and the importance of removing the fear associated with working in a ‘man’s world’ with Torque Magazine...
How did you get into the industry?
I originally completed my commercial training in the health sector. I started as a marketing clerk and faced the classic side of marketing. After I took up my part‐time studies in marketing & digital media in 2018, I applied to Eurotec GmbH as an Online Marketing Manager. Since then, I have helped to drive digitalisation and the need for online innovation in an inherently conservative industry. I am now the Head of Marketing and deal with complex target group and market analyses in the fastening industry.
What does your day-to-day job involve?
Regarding my job routine, I have to say: There is none. Which I am very happy about. I never know exactly what to expect at the beginning of the day. Of course, I always have a goal in mind for each day. My daily tasks include controlling general traffic on websites and social channels, strategically deriving new marketing measures and evaluating past activities retrospectively. In addition, I have to work dynamically on projects for digital innovations every day.
What are the biggest changes you have seen in the industry and/or the company since you started?
At the moment, but also during the upswing when I started at Eurotec, I see digitalisation on the market and the leading motto: Move away from paper and towards monitors. This covers almost every area in the market. Through my area of expertise, I am close to the news from all over the world in the fastening industry. Here I hear and see more digital activities every day: online seminars, trade fairs that are only conducted online, 360‐degree images that showcase products and amazing renderings on YouTube that display and visualise complex engineering in modular construction. The exchange of people with each other and the way they work. BIM was a word I heard two years ago at one of the biggest construction trade fairs in Germany, BAU in Munich, and didn't follow up on. Now it follows me and moves the market and with it the marketing budget and activities for the new possibilities.
Can you share some of your career highlights and milestones so far?
In 2019, after just one year in the company, I took the big step of presenting Eurotec's new website to the public. In addition to increased user‐friendliness and optimised product presentation, I have also focused on the added value for customers. We are currently working on this on an ongoing basis. The biggest milestone, which is less of a milestone and more of a journey of miles, was when I slowly but surely built up an internal marketing competence within the company. In the marketing department, which I have been fully in charge of since the middle of last year, I built up separate small departments specialising in specific topics in several steps. We have our own social media department, an online area and our own graphic designers.
What is your favourite thing about the fastener industry?
What I like most about the fastening industry is the variety and changeability of the topics. There is an incredible amount to discover and learn. The field is constantly growing and developing with each passing day.
What do you think needs to be done to encourage more women to get involved in the fastener industry?
You have to take away the fear of a “Man’s World”. That the sector can only fall into the hands of men, "since only men work on construction sites". We have to get rid of the false world view that there are jobs that are only for women and, the other way round, jobs that only men can fill. The fastening industry is the perfect example of the opportunities that come with a work‐place that is filled with prejudice. We should break away from the stereotype that only men can be interested in screws and wood fasteners. For as dry as this subject area may sound to some, it is more multi‐faceted than almost any other. It embraces almost everything in our environment. We live in a building that contains fastening technology. We walk over bridges that deal with loads we have no idea about. The fastening industry is all around us in the world. And therefore, as interesting for women as for any other gender. If we convey this image, the fastening industry becomes attractive to everyone and makes it easier for women to get a foothold in the industry.
How does Eurotec bring in new talent from a variety of back-grounds? Do you think this is a challenge for the industry?
Eurotec is constantly looking for new employees due to our strong growth. In doing so, we try to acquire internal competences to better understand the market and our customers and to be able to further optimise our products. Of course, this is also a big challenge for companies in the industry at the same time.
Any final thoughts?
When I think about my work in the fastening industry, I feel a lot of excitement and fun in the daily things I experience and participate in. I would love to see more women enjoying this and realising that this is a gender‐neutral field where we can all develop and learn a lot.
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