Interview with Marcus Bettac
Interview with Markus Bettac (43 years), Managing Director of StB Verkehrstechnik GmbH (StB)
Mr. Bettac, please tell us something about yourself and StB Verkehrstechnik GmbH.
I started working for StB at the beginning of 2016. Previously, I have worked in various marketing companies, but then decided it’s time for a new challenge. This is when I changed over to the transport and logistics sector and started working for STB at the beginning of 2016.
I mainly work in the background, taking care of the quality management, certifications and employees.
The company StB was founded almost four years ago and has grown steadily ever since.
Currently we have 47 employees, including three apprentices. More than half of our employees are involved in the operational implementation of our services on the roads of Germany. Among them are nine police helpers, who can now replace the escort by the police in heavy transport. The colleagues control a total of 22 mini vans and twelve BF4 vehicles. Due to the good order situation, the fleet is to be expanded this year.
Which services does StB offer exactly and in which sectors are you mainly active?
We work in the areas of traffic control and traffic safety and offer professional solutions for heavy goods logistics as well as mobile routes. We offer our customers a complete package, from the planning including the creation of route profiles and the organization to the escort of heavy goods vehicles. In addition, we take care of all necessary measurements with the responsible authorities. Good cooperation with authorities for applications and permits is extremely important. By now, we even offer our customers the unloading of their goods, for example smaller components for wind turbines – worldwide.
We have benefited from the strong expansion of wind energy in Germany in recent years. Conversely, the stunted expansion also means fewer orders for StB in this area. However, we have prepared ourselves for this situation and have positioned ourselves broadly regarding our customers and the industries. So, we were recently involved in the transport of a huge transformer from the production hall to the port. This year, we want to concentrate more on regional traffic safety.
What are the biggest challenges for the future? Where do you still see a need for action?
As mentioned at the beginning, we are still on a growth course. In addition to the flexible fleet, our trained and experienced employees are the decisive factor for our success. Like many industries, we also have the problem of finding new employees or junior staff. That will probably be the biggest challenge in the future.
For operational management, we would like to see more understanding for the measures we have taken, without which certain transports could not be carried out. In addition, traffic-guiding measures should be considered more in the overall planning of projects, as applications must be made, and permits must be obtained, which take some time to process. And without the appropriate papers, the transport cannot be carried out.