30 CEO MONTHLY / GLOBAL CEO EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2020 , Jun20564 Best Technical Documentation CEO 2020 (Western Europe): Manuel Schneider At the beginning of his professional career, Manuel Schneider had decided to continue a family tradition - to train as a toolmaker - just like his father and grandfather. “At that time, I could not imagine spending my time in an office at all,” laughs the successful entrepreneur. In 2005, he completed his apprenticeship and continued to work in his training company for another five years, but in production and shift work. During this time he had to read a lot of technical documentation, which was sometimes, to put it mildly, rather lacking. “Again and again I thought: I could make this more comprehensible and easier to understand,“ Manuel continues. Slowly but surely, the decision to continue his education matured. First came further training as a mechanical engineering technician, followed by studies to become a technical editor at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, which he successfully completed in 2012. Afterwards, the entrepreneur wanted to gain professional experience as a technical writer. Several stations in mechanical engineering, the automotive industry and medical technology followed. “But at some point I realized that being an employee was no longer enough for me. I wanted to break new ground.” In September 2017 Manuel founded his company, Schneider Dokumentation, as a side business. However, he was so successful that in June 2018 he became fully independent - initially as a “one- man show” as he goes on to discuss: “In the beginning, the biggest challenges were taking care of marketing and sales.“ But, by all regards, Manuel learned quickly and today Schneider Dokumentation has two employees and two temporary staff. The relatively small size of the company plays an important role in its approach to client service – personal contact with his customers remains an extremely important factor to Manuel. “Our customers also appreciate this. Our aim is not to sell the customer a service they don’t need, but to offer them a viable solution with added value for their problem”. Fortunately, many companies have now realized how important technical documentation is - especially with regard to CE marking. But often there is no capacity for this task in the company, or indeed, theemployees are not sufficiently qualified. “In the past, doing the technical documentation was a rather unpopular job and often shifted back and forth between the individual departments until at some point it ended up with the intern”. Manuel speaks from experience. But fortunately this attitude has changed in most companies due to the strict guidelines and requirements. That’s why there are service providers like Schneider Dokumentation. Moreover, technical documentation accompanies a product throughout its entire life cycle. “So we do much more than just create a readable operating manual. On the one hand, the documentation must be updated regularly. Then, in recent years, interactive documentation has been steadily developed offering more challenges and possibilities. Last but not least, a correct risk assessment is nowof great importance, especially with regard to possible liability in case of an accident”. Flexibility is important The range of services offered by Schneider Dokumentation includes classic technical documentation such as operating manuals, data sheets, translations and risk assessments. “Even if we can’t do something, we will work with the customer to find a solution,” says Manuel. “In my network, for example, I have a design office with which we have already realised several projects together. With us, the customer gets, so to speak, the “all-round carefree package” - and "I want to offer my customers solutions and more than just a service" - Manuel Schneider, CEO of Schneider Dokumentation “It is important to me to create solutions.” that is over the entire life cycle of his product”. But these are not the only services that Schneider Dokumentation offers its customers. Another important aspect of the company is its role in consulting on all aspects of technical documentation. In addition, there is also the so-called “Doku- Check”, which is particularly interesting now with regard to the the new Medical Device Regulation (MDR). The Corona crisis also shows opportunities Ultimately, Manuel is optimistic about the future. “In the next few years I would like to open several branches in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). I also want to expand our range of services, for example with online courses. I also have a few other projects in the pipeline. One thing is certain: The future of Schneider Documentation will be exciting”. The entrepreneur also takes a positive view of the current Corona crisis. “It shows us new opportunities, especially in the direction of sustainability and resource conservation. Something we also live by at Schneider Dokumentation.” Manuel is particularly optimistic when it comes to the paradigm shift in the online sector. “Many meetings are simply more effective via video calls. In addition, I save so much time, which I can use again in a different way for my customers to benefit from.” Company: Schneider Dokumentation Contact: Manuel Schneider, CEO https://schneiderdokumentation.de
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