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25 YEARS OF
ZOLLER FRANCE!
It’s already been a quarter of a century since ZOLLER
France came into being — and the on site Managing
Director, Christian Andlauer, has been there since the
beginning. Z.magazine talked with him.
Mr. Andlauer, tell us how everything started!
“ZOLLER was looking for technical support for its French
branch at that time, in 1991 — that’s how we got to know
one another. After a few interviews, an onsite visit in
Freiburg, and a meeting at the EMO — which still took
place in Paris in 1991 — ZOLLER France was founded as a
branch in September of 1991.”
What goals did you set back then with Mr. Eberhard
Zoller?
“ZOLLER was already wellknown in France so we didn’t
have to start from scratch. We sold approximately
30–40 ZOLLER machines per year. Our goal was to sell
100 machines per year. We ultimately achieved this goal
by selling 105 machines in 2015!”
What was your best professional moment at ZOLLER?
“There were two! The first was in 1999, when we became
an official automotive supplier. This market only opened
up to us in 1999, and was firmly in the hands of our com
petitors up to that point. The second special highlight
was the sale of our first »genius 3« universal measuring
machine in 2003, which went to Airbus.”
What was the biggest hurdle you had to face
in the 25 years?
“There isn’t a specific moment I can think of here —
it’s the daily challenge of convincing potential buyers
of the economic efficiency of our solutions, and
convincing them that it truly pays off to invest in
a ZOLLER device and ZOLLER software.”
Mr. Andlauer, what would you wish for the future
of ZOLLER France?
“To double our sales numbers over the next 25 years!”
Christian Andlauer, Managing Director of
ZOLLER France today (top) and back then.
Z . WORLD
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