European Product Group Manager Wood Wool - Knauf Insulation

Issue Date : 14/04/2008

Company Profile

The Knauf Group (www.knauf.com)

Established in 1932 in Perl an der Mosel in Saarland by the brothers Dr. Alfons Knauf and Karl Knauf, Gebr. Knauf Rheinische Gipsindustrie was the nucleus of the Knauf Group (www.knauf.com) which operates worldwide today. After the Second World War a new beginning was made by building a gypsum plant in Iphofen in Northern Bavaria, which is still the headquarters of the Group today. The Group which is owned by the two lines of the family, Dr. Alfons and Karl Knauf, is still run as a family business by the two cousins Baldwin and Nikolaus Knauf.

A multinational producer of building materials and construction systems, the company is operating more than 130 production sites in over 35 countries and is one of the world's leading manufacturers of building materials. Knauf has a workforce of 18,500+.

A strong characteristic of Knauf is the courage for visions, innovation and investments as well as simple decision-making processes and a wealth of ideas on the part of its personnel.

Originally a producer of conventional gypsum, Knauf has developed into a group of companies in the industrial sectors of dry wall installations, insulation technology and plastering. Another extensive segment is moulded and injection moulded parts as well as other related activities.

Closeness to customers, the establishment of long-lasting, special customer relationships by offering first class advice and appropriate expert service for top-grade products and systems: this has been the Knauf way to market. For this purpose it is necessary to have state-of-the-art plant technology that is subject to an ongoing development process.

However, the future also lies in the hands of talented and highly motivated employees. An important aspect is the "family culture" which prevails in the company: Learn from one another, hold together, pass on knowledge, assume the role of mentor, take fast and direct paths and press for special achievements. All of these are facets of the company culture.

Today, Knauf is operating through 8 divisions :

Preformed Parts: With the production of preformed parts, Knauf dedicated itself to an area of activity that is particularly associated with creativity and innovation. These include products such as Knauf protective packaging and Knauf injection moulded parts for manufacturer of consumer electronics, car manufacturers and others.

Interior Construction: Knauf offers tailor-made complete systems for interior finishing work, e.g. drywall systems, which open up totally new perspectives, also for domestic building, thanks to a comprehensive set of accessories. But also Knauf's plastering and flooring systems ensure clean and rational activity on the building site and enable a high level of design freedom.

Insulation Materials: Knauf's recyclable insulating materials enable universal application, from the cellar to the rafters, and regardless of whether for a new building, a refurbishment or a modernization.

Logistics: The transportation of building materials from suppliers to the processing location often makes up a large portion of the building cost. Knauf reacted to this problem many years ago and developed a logistics system for the segment.

DIY: Knauf provides the building trade and private end-customers with an indispensable range for extension and modernization projects. Find the right product to level, tape, tile, seal, glue, clean, maintain, plaster, brick up and renovate.

Facades: Within Knauf's family of companies, various partner companies serve to unify the entire expertise in the fields of façade design and exterior plaster technology.

Mechanical Engineering: Knauf produces vastly varied products according to the most diverse requirements with modern production technologies. Cored plates, large control consoles, switching cabinets, machine coverings, enclosures and machine parts. For this purpose Knauf uses materials such as aluminium, steel, stainless steel and non-ferrous metals.

Other Building Materials: A further functional area of the Knauf Group is involved in the manufacture of blown perlite. Perlite serves as a raw material in the manufacture of plasterwork, cement-bonded boards and dry mortar. The cardboard for the manufacture of plasterboard is also produced by Knauf itself. For this reason, Knauf operates the St. Petersburger Polygraphie und Kartonkombinat in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Knauf Insulation (www.knaufinsulation.com)

As part of the Knauf Group, Knauf Insulation represents one of the most respected and progressive names in insulation worldwide. With manufacturing operations in Europe, Russia, UK and USA, the annual sales revenue is in excess of EUR 1 billion.

The company is the fastest growing insulation manufacturer in the world with a wide range of insulation products to meet the growing demand for energy efficiency and acoustic performance in new and existing homes, commercial buildings and industrial applications.  Products include glass mineral wool, stone mineral wool, wood wool expanded polystyrene and extruded polystyrene. Knauf Insulation is committed to sustainable development and conservation of the environment manufacturing its products from recycled materials.

Knauf insulation is divided into 6 regions: the US/UK/Western Europe/Central Europe/Eastern Europe and Russia and CIS countries

The Central Marketing Group, which has been set up recently, will be working out of Mont-St-Guibert, close to Brussels, Belgium and consists of a team of around 15 people (see chart).

The company wants to streamline and harmonize the strategies and activities which are being carried out in the regions and to be prepared for when the market becomes more bearish. Furthermore, the company is also looking - in order to be able to respond to the huge current demand - to increase capacities by building new manufacturing sites and adding capacity in existing sites as well as for further potential acquisitions in the region. Lastly, the company realizes they need to add new skills and resources that underscore the company's commitment.

The continuing development of the organisation and a renewed focus on the wood wool business, calls for an exceptional executive, who as Product Group Manager Wood Wool will play a key role in building and managing the wood wool product group throughout Europe.

REPORTING TO

Head of Market Development Construction Europe

KEY OBJECTIVES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Reporting to the Head of Market Development Construction Europe, the European Product Group Manager Wood Wool will carry out in-depth market research to establish strategy and ideal portfolio of products including potential new applications and/or products.

He or she will analyse the existing key markets, business and trends in order to define a medium to long term perspective, by being present in the field.

By communicating findings and views back to manager as well as to relevant sales, production and marketing groups for this Product Group, the Product Group Manager Wood Wool will help establish the optimal combination in terms of production planning/cost and supply of appropriate/adequate products.

He or she will gain learning from the key markets across the entire region and focus on managing the European product portfolio including developing new products / value propositions for existing and/or new applications.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Analyse current situation including developing clear historical picture; detailing market situation & trends plus describing existing position for WW business of KI across Europe, including financials. Main focus should be on internal & external analysis (including detailed competitor analysis, customer analysis, etc.), developing SWOT analysis, description of KI's current strategy plus carrying out in-depth marketing audit (covering current product range / pricing / route-to-market / communication / etc.) across region
• Based on market analysis, trends and current demands; formulate predictions on the future orientation of the market (ongoing)
• Develop future orientation and strategy for KI in line with market view/orientation, including proposing optimum product range, pricing, route-to-market strategy and communication
• Initiate key actions to improve short term results in defined areas (quick wins)
• Identify new areas of opportunity in the market - based on market information and analysis - which may offer potential for development of new applications or products or even geographical expansion for GW
• Drive and manage product development process with R&D, manufacturing and regional marketing teams
• In cooperation with the local and regional Marketing teams, initiate projects with the objective of adjusting the product range or propose alternative solutions to existing products/systems
• Ongoing Pan-European product management activities, including range optimization, product improvements, new product development, packaging changes, etc.
• Understand customers & end users and their decision making process to be able to influence this
• Develop process for collecting market intelligence in terms of competition's strategy, sales and marketing activities and manage this ongoing and pro-actively together with the market research group
• Make implementation planning for key projects and ensure successful implementation accordingly
• Monitor and track business performance & projects and report monthly on progress
• Be actively involved in capacity expansion projects in existing and new manufacturing facilities across region plus be involved in developing strategies for new market entries
• Work with European supply group and regional teams to propose optimal market allocations from various manufacturing sites across the region (4 for wood wool)
• Share best practices across region ongoing and systematically plus training

WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

The ideal person

The person we seek will be at ease operating effectively in an environment influenced by a management, which is highly entrepreneurial, driven by creativity and initiative, where the individual is the driving force. Integrity, organizational commitment and the ability to make decisions based on clarity of thought and persuasive argument is critical.

The person will be experienced in leading through influence, where the collaboration, communication and support of operations and peers is the key to success. He or she  will have at least 5 years of relevant experience in product management and will have been engaged in similar projects on an international scale. The person we seek will take responsibility for providing the appropriate contribution to the success of the business through its marketing activities.

The ideal candidate will be distinguished by exceptional responsiveness to market developments, a willingness to take on responsibility and the drive to make things happen. This person will be a self-motivated professional, with a straightforward approach to problem solving. Combining pragmatism with an in-depth understanding of what it takes to succeed in this position will be important to success. 

With as strong drive for excellence and a strong sense of accountability, the Product Group Manager likes working with people, is a team player, who listens, probes and identifies what the customer is looking for. He or she understands the benefits of the products and matches these to the customer's needs and is able to grasp expectations.

The right individual will feel at ease and be stimulated by working in a pragmatic, fast-paced, results-driven environment. This calls for results orientation, refined leadership skills and the talent to communicate at all levels, internally and externally in this multicultural environment. The ideal candidate will be distinguished by a clear sense of ethics and a high standard of professional conduct.

With a high energy level, strong convincing and verbal skills and a healthy level of curiosity, the European Product Group Manager is flexible and creative and able to adapt to a rapidly changing environment.

Languages
Fluent English and German is a must, any other languages, in particular French is an asset

Education
The person will hold a university degree and ideally possesses a postgraduate qualification such as an MBA.

Location
The location of the position will be at the Knauf Insulation's offices near Brussels / Belgium, but will involve frequent travel throughout Europe.

Remuneration
Remuneration will be attractive and certainly sufficient to motivate a highly qualified candidate consisting of a competitive base salary and a bonus plus usual company benefits.

Outlook
The company's growth will inevitably create significant opportunities to progress for an individual demonstrating outstanding skill and the desire and potential to progress to more senior positions.

REQUIRED LANGUAGES

English : fluent
German : fluent
French : is an asset
any other languages, in particular French is an asset :