The firm Fink Holzbau und Sägerei was founded in 1932 by Alfred Fink. In the 1970s the company was continued by the brothers Ernst and Hans. In the 1990s the general partnership was converted into Ernst Fink AG. Since 2016 the current company owner Bruno Fink has been running the business successfully in the third generation and has expanded the «timber construction and contract work» divisions. The company employs around 30 people.
From the natural, renewable raw material wood, Ernst Fink AG creates individual, tailor-made solutions for private individuals, agriculture, trade and the public sector.
The strength of the firm Ernst Fink AG rests on two pillars:
Fink Holzbau, the main business, for creating roof structures, timber façades, conversions and interior fit-outs, and Fink Services, as a secondary business, with two joinery machines for timber processing from batten to panel.
Successful timber construction rests on several qualities. The committed employees advise their customers competently, so that individual ideas become uniquely designed and carefully built, beautiful roof structures for new builds and conversions, made from local timber.
Customers of Ernst Fink AG appreciate that, on the one hand, everything comes from a single source from the first sketch to the finished building and, on the other, that they benefit from many years of experience combined with a strong spirit of innovation in the field of demanding special constructions.
Jakob Strähl began his fascination with the raw material wood with an apprenticeship at Ernst Fink AG in 2003. He went on to train as a timber construction foreman and to this day runs the business successfully.
Mr Strähl: what was the highlight of the past year?
We got through the year «free of coronavirus» and had enough work for all our employees.
Where did you learn resource planning?
I learned resource planning in the business. A little in the army, and the theory during my training as a timber construction foreman.
How did you learn deployment and capacity planning?
You have to have a feel for deployment and capacity planning and know all the tasks and processes, so that you know how to coordinate and optimise them. The more knowledge you have, the better everything can be timed to fit together.
Is there also further training in this field?
Holzbau Schweiz offers such courses. I have attended some of them. The most interesting thing in these courses is the exchange with other users.
How did you hear about Vanillaplan?
The software was recommended to me by az Holz AG.
How did you do resource planning before Vanillaplan?
We had an Excel spreadsheet for deployment planning and a lot of it was simply in our heads. We did capacity planning from experience. In the past we took on a job and had three months until it had to be carried out. Today things move faster. We take on a job and it should have been finished yesterday. That means we have to become more flexible.
How did getting started with Vanillaplan go?
Getting started went well. As I say: you never stop learning. The software has a simple structure and you keep learning more as you use it.
What were the challenges?
It was good to learn something new. For us it was an aid that makes sense. The rest was a matter of diligence.
Who is responsible for resource planning?
Only I work with the software, and my deputy when I am away. The project managers only have viewing access. The reason is that I have the most experience and I have timed everything to fit together very precisely. The more carefully Vanillaplan is kept, the easier it becomes. I record every movement in it. Diligence is part of it.
How are capacity and deployment planning organised in your business?
Every Thursday we discuss the weekly planning with all the project managers. Before coronavirus we all went to lunch together beforehand and the information from the conversation then fed into the planning. Back then we printed out the weekly plan on paper and discussed it.
Since coronavirus I present the weekly planning directly on screen. Everyone can see what I have planned. That is an advantage. Doing it directly on screen has also become more efficient.
Early in the morning I enter employees who have reported in sick, or if someone has to go into quarantine - the fine adjustments. Since coronavirus we have had fewer changes and reshuffles in the teams. That makes planning easier and more efficient. Customers' acceptance of it has also increased.
What do you like about Vanillaplan?
The capacity plan, the weekly planning and the long-term plan are the best.
What is your benefit?
We have become much more agile and have gained a far better overview than before. We invested in Vanillaplan in order to gain certainty.
Many thanks for the interview, Mr Strähl.
More information on the Fink Holzbau homepage.
