Publication date: 2017
The pilot in service: service boss Martin Jerg also takes off now and then
"I've come to realize that it doesn't matter what industry you're in, it's all about one thing: people."
Martin Jerg
How can you leave the cockpit of a Federal Council jet and "only" take care of the well-being of thousands of KYBURZ electric vehicles from now on? "Martin Kyburz is to blame," says Martin Jerg with a smile. When he offered me the chance to switch to KYBURZ Switzerland in 2013, I grabbed it. After more than 20 years with the Swiss Air Force, a change at the age of 44 was a good thing. Today, he no longer controls jets, but the leisurely, but no less demanding surveying pilot of the Swiss topography, the Twin Otter: around 50 hours a year.
The right people with the right attitude
"My task today is very exciting. I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter in which industry you work, in the end it's all about one thing: people. Then it's also about resources, values and attitudes," Martin Jerg continues. It doesn't matter whether you repair electric vehicles or command a squadron. He adds: "If the right people work with the right attitude and I, as the boss, am able to ask the right questions, then the result is right at the end - whether here at KYBURZ or at the Air Force."
65 service partners for Swiss Post
The 25-person service department forms the largest block within the KYBURZ company. It is divided into three subdivisions and comprises two branches, one in Ecublens near Lausanne and the other in Horw near Lucerne. The largest "unit" is clearly the maintenance of the Swiss Post fleet, which now comprises around 6,000 vehicles.
This is primarily provided by the 65 service partners located throughout Switzerland who look after the postal vehicles in their catchment areas. The specialists in these partner garages are trained by KYBURZ Switzerland. The KYBURZ service department also has a complete service history of all vehicles.
The second service unit deals with private vehicles. Vehicle owners report a problem and then a decision is made as to whether the repair should be carried out directly at the customer's premises or in the workshop in Freienstein. In the latter case, a replacement vehicle is provided so that the customer does not have to be immobile for a day. "Our vehicles represent a central and emotional point in the life of many customers, they should not have to do without them for one day", Martin Jerg states again and again. The third main pillar is the spare parts trade.