Giovanni holds the position of Global Technical Support Manager at Pepperl+Fuchs in Sulbiate, Italy. As the technical point of contact for Process Automation (PA), he is responsible for providing support and advice on many technical matters concerning the division. We caught up with him to talk about what he especially likes about his job and how he prefers to spend his free time.
Giovanni, you’ve been with Pepperl+Fuchs for 15 years now. What did you do before joining the company?
Giovanni: After apprenticing as an electrician, I started working at a small electronics company when I was just 17. I was responsible for assembling electronic games, power supply units, and industrial electronics there. In the years after that, I went to night school to become an electronics technician and worked for various smaller and larger companies – sometimes part time, sometimes full time. I ended up joining Pepperl+Fuchs as a customer service technician in 2007.
What are your responsibilities in the role of Global Technical Support Manager at Pepperl+Fuchs?, you’ve been with Pepperl+Fuchs for 15 years now. What did you do before joining the company?
Giovanni: As a Global Technical Support Manager, I’m the technical point of contact for Process Automation. Our team is the interface between development and the technical contact persons in the EMEA regions, meaning Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. My responsibilities include pre-sales and after-sales support, along with tasks like providing training for the local technical support teams at the various Pepperl+Fuchs locations. We also provide product-related training sessions to companies that already use our products and process their inquiries.
A typical day of a Global Technical Support Manager
What is your typical working day like?
Giovanni: The first thing I do every day is open my e-mail program and see what is waiting for me. I might get a request from a colleague to explain a certain function of a particular Pepperl+Fuchs product or a request for support from a customer. At any rate, I spend most of my day helping colleagues with technical questions about our products. That also includes questions about how to highlight a product’s technical features. Before the pandemic, I spent a lot of time on the road, visiting our customers and providing support on site. That’s something I really miss, and I hope it will be possible again soon.
What do you especially like about your work as a Global Technical Support Manager?
Giovanni: I really like working with colleagues from different areas, such as product marketing, development, and especially sales. I enjoy being able to help my colleagues and our customers every day. I also appreciate how multifaceted my work is. One day I’m helping sales staff pick out a certain product, and the next I’m training new employees or providing product training for external customers.
What a Global Technical Support Manager need to have…
What traits does a Global Technical Support Manager at Pepperl+Fuchs need to have?
Giovanni: In addition to having formal training in electrical engineering and good skills in automation technology, a Global Technical Support Manager has to be intimately familiar with Pepperl+Fuchs products and how and where they are used, of course. Negotiation and organizational skills are important, too. A lot of our work is international, so it is important to be proficient in English.
What do you do when you’re not working?
Giovanni: I love hiking and mountain climbing, nature in general and traveling. I also have a soft spot for old things and repairing them. For years I had a 1972 VW Beetle in my garage which I had bought for the equivalent of 350 euros over 30 years back. I used the free time during the pandemic to fully restore it and get it back up and running. I basically took half the car apart, right down to the individual parts, and then put it back together. Now I’m back to driving it around.
Profile
Name: Giovanni
Occupation: Global Technical Support Manager
Working for Pepperl+Fuchs since: May 2007
Giovanni in 3 hashtags: #Curiosity #Action #Passion
Favorite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Special skill: repairing things
