The ever-accelerating transition to renewable energy requires a plethora of highly technical, precision-engineered parts. For the organizations that produce these complex and essential parts, the job would be impossible without a secure and effective IT infrastructure.
This is the responsibility of Pfisterer CIO Martin Wilde. “Pfisterer is one of the key suppliers for global energy companies, such as General Electric, RWE, E.ON and Saudi Electricity Company,” he tells The CEO Magazine.
“Our vision is to provide solutions that connect global energy, from its generation to its consumption. We produce high-voltage insulators and connectors for offshore wind energy and power plants, delivering to suppliers across the globe.”
“Energy is one of the key points for humanity in the world for the next 50 years, and I’m proud to be a part of a highly professional management team that understands the value of IT.”
Over the course of a diverse and award-winning career, Wilde has progressed from an IT technician to the role of CIO, traversing various global industries. In his current role, the future, as well as the present, looks bright.
“Global energy consumption is growing, and we have the right products for this growth. We are only a B2B business, so we are small, but we are growing unbelievably,” he says.
“Energy is one of the key points for humanity in the world for the next 50 years, and I’m proud to be a part of a highly professional management team that understands the value of IT. You cannot be a top company without a top IT department.”
Cybersecurity turnaround
When Wilde first joined the company, however, the outlook was not so rosy.
“I’ve been here for six years now. When I got here it was not in the confident situation that it is in today,” he reflects. “One of the biggest challenges initially was our IT security infrastructure. We had the basics, like firewalls and some antivirus protections, but we were vulnerable to cyberattacks.”
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To navigate this, the company invested in AI and machine learning software supported by its key partners, WithSecure. Now, its infrastructure is assuredly world-class.
“Our cybersecurity stack protects our company very well and is one of four global cybersecurity systems that is NSA-approved to protect American government organizations,” he says.
“We have had it in place for four years now, and it gets more effective year on year. After four years of IT restructuring, the company is now in a very strong place.”
The wider growth of Pfisterer is symbolized by its recent opening of a new Pfisterer production facility in Rochester, New York, which is a landmark moment in its global expansion strategy.
Unrelenting growth
In spite of this success, Wilde is not getting complacent. He explains the need for the company to keep evolving its IT infrastructure to keep its place as a global player.
“The business is developing in a perfect way in the global market,” he says. “But we need to rethink all that we have done in the last few years and bring in the right AI-supported smart services.
“We want to move with the global IT standards, and we want people in our department who love what they do.”
“We need to automate really complex internal processes, which we have begun to do with a new enterprise resource planning system, SAP HANA. This is the norm for big companies, and we are not a massive company, but we are very important for the global energy market.”
Highlighting this point, Wilde explains that Pfisterer is one of the only companies authorized to provide parts for the United States government’s offshore wind energy production. To meet its transformation goals, he wants to recruit talented new staff.
“We want to move with the global IT standards, and we want people in our department who love what they do,” he says.
Invaluable relationships
A key motivation for developing the company’s IT capability is to ensure it provides best-in-class customer service, which is one of Pfisterer’s core values.
“We always endeavor to exceed our partners’ expectations and build long-term relationships,” he explains.
“I’m very proud of my global IT team for making Pfisterer a key player in the global energy market.”
Wilde is aware that the success he has enjoyed during his time at Pfisterer would not have been possible without his colleagues, who give him confidence that the company will continue to prosper.
“I’ve really had the chance to create the digital path for a global company at a critical point. Of course this was not on my own; I have a strong team behind me,” he says.
“I’m very proud of my global IT team for making Pfisterer a key player in the global energy market. We are in a perfect position for our customers and for the future.”
