17. April 2018
In our series “Meet….” we want to give you a glimpse of the day-to-day work at the Centers Smart Services and introduce you to our employees and our areas of expertise. Do you want to know what we do and which vision we pursue? Meet the Center Smart Services! Read on to see what Dr. Phillipp Jussen, Director of the Smart Services, has to say!
When did you join the Center Smart Services?
I have been a part of it ever since its founding in 2015 – I helped setting it up. Since October 2017, I hold the position of Center Director and am responsible for everything we do at the Center.
What excites you about your work at the Center Smart Services?
We were lucky to be able to work on the developments of digitalization from a very early point on. We had the chance to research and shape some of the effects and possibilities that come with the digitisation for manufacturing companies and can therefore pass a lot of this knowledge on to other companies now, which is exciting. On a daily basis, we receive great feedback from them. This motivates me to dig deeper and try to understand the topics even better. As something like an added benefit that is free of charge, we also receive new, complex problems and questions from companies all the time and are curious to find solutions for them. Although we work in the field of digitalization, working in a great team that shares the excitement for the topic is one of the most motivating factors to me.
That sounds like you offer classic consulting services – or is there a difference between what you do at the Center Smart Services and Consulting Agencies?
We support companies in bilateral consulting projects, of course. But at the heart of the center, we work on consortial projects, funded by the associated companies. We work on complex research questions in cooperation with numerous companies. Thanks to the unique infrastructure here at the Cluster Smart Logistics, we have the opportunity to not only support the companies until they have a final concept for their product or process, but to continue to work with them until they are ready to introduce their innovation to the market. This is not common for standard consulting agencies. We do consider ourselves to be operators and organizers of a network – we support our members for many years and help them to establish sustainable digital business models.
What does your typical workspace look like?
I always try to keep my desk very tidy. Apart from my laptop, a Notepad and a small pile of documents on current projects there is always a cup of green tea.
What does your work-life balance look like?
I like to think of it like Gary Vaynerchuk, who said something along the lines of: If all your looking forward to over the week is Friday, you are doing something wrong. Therefore, I am someone who works because I believe in what I do and I love the topics we work on. I think if you are excited about a topic, you like to invest time in it.
In addition to this, I am also a very curious person, which adds to my love for what I do. If what you work on is related to digitalization, you cannot help but see all these opportunities for digital innovations even in your free time. But even if you enjoy working a lot, it is obviously necessary to have something that balances out your work life. My option of choice to do so is travelling (although not often enough!) and sports.
What advice would you give to potential candidates who are interested in joining the Center Smart Services?
Present yourself as a prototype – not quite ready yet but ready to face all the challenges you are confronted with.
Interested to work on unique tasks and projects in an ever-changing environment with great colleagues? This way please!