Interview with Nina Zimmermann (COO) and Thomas Holeczek (CEO)
Nina, you have been with Printec-DS for ten years and have now taken on the role of COO. What does this step mean for you — and for the company?
Nina Zimmermann: For me, it is a big step, but also a very natural one. After ten years in the company, I have seen many developments up close — not only where we have become stronger, but also where growth puts pressure on communication, coordination and daily routines.
What this role means to me is responsibility: responsibility for looking closely, understanding processes properly and making decisions that are well considered. For the company, I believe it is a step that can create more clarity and more support across departments, especially where people depend on each other every day.
Thomas, why was it the right moment to strengthen the management team with a COO?
Thomas Holeczek: Because the company is in a phase where experience alone is no longer enough unless it is brought together in the right structure. The demands have increased, and with that, the need for sharper coordination and stronger operational leadership.
What I find particularly valuable is that Nina and I bring different backgrounds, while both having ten years of company experience. That is a strong combination. We know the business, but from different angles. Bringing that together in the management team is, in my view, an opportunity to benefit from double experience rather than relying on a single perspective.
Nina, how do you define your role as COO, and what are your priorities in this new position?
Nina Zimmermann: I would define my role very simply: to help the company work together more clearly and more effectively. That starts with understanding the processes properly, but it also means understanding where people lose time, where handovers are unclear and where good work becomes harder than it needs to be.
My priorities are therefore clarity, cooperation and relief. I want departments to know what they can rely on, what is expected and where support is available. And I want changes to be practical. If an improvement does not work in real day-to-day business, it is not a good improvement.
Printec-DS is becoming increasingly international. What are the main operational challenges that come with this development?
Nina Zimmermann: The complexity grows. Not in one dramatic way, but in many smaller ways at once. Communication becomes more demanding, coordination takes more discipline, and the quality of interfaces becomes more important.
That is why I think we need to stay very close to the real work. It is easy to speak about structures in general terms. What matters more is whether information arrives where it is needed, whether handovers are clear, and whether people can rely on each other across departments. That is where operational stability really begins.
How do strategy and operations work together in this phase of development?
Thomas Holeczek: They have to reinforce each other. Strategy sets priorities and gives direction, but operations determine whether those priorities can actually be implemented in a clean and sustainable way.
For me, this is one of the main reasons why this change is right. In a more demanding environment, clarity in the target direction and clarity in execution have to come closer together. Otherwise, you lose time, focus and ultimately effectiveness.
Nina, what role do people and company culture play in achieving operational excellence?
Nina Zimmermann: A central one. I do not believe you can improve operations by looking only at workflows. You also have to look at how people communicate, how they cooperate and whether they feel informed and supported.
In my experience, many avoidable problems start very early: unclear expectations, missing context, handovers that are too vague, or decisions that are not fully transparent. That is why empathy and clarity belong together. People need a clear line, but they also need to understand why something is decided and how it helps the overall work.
Finally, what does this development mean for your customers and partners?
Thomas Holeczek: It means continuity with more strength behind it. We are not changing who we are. We are making sure that the company remains reliable and capable as the demands around us increase.
Nina Zimmermann: And it means that the quality our customers and partners experience should not depend on individual effort alone. It should be supported by better coordination, clearer processes and stronger cooperation across the company.
