Measurement technology @home
Andreas Körner, Germany
When a virus pandemic demands new hygiene and distancing rules, this shines a spotlight on the benefits of digital measurement provided by medical retailers. That is why we could also see a noticeably positive development in the statistics during the first half of the year: approximately every other measurement of our customers that results in a product order is performed electronically. In other words: the ratio between manual measurement and electronic measurement is now equal, while at the beginning of 2019, only every third measurement was electronic. In our interview, Andreas Körner tells us why he has a 3D measurement system at home at the moment.
Bauerfeind has been developing measurement technology for almost 20 years. You have been a part of it for 14 years. Can you briefly summarize what the company has achieved?
Since 2003, we have developed three generations of 3D measurement systems at Bauerfeind, based on photogrammetry, structured light and deep infrared light. All three generations combined have measured about 1.3 million legs up to now.
Wow, that’s impressive. So our measurement technology is in high demand?
Yes, the most recent Bodytronic generation has also been very well received. Since its launch last year, we were able to win additional market shares. And we only managed to do that because the measurement technology works brilliantly as a whole.
And what’s your task in the team?
Product Management for Software Development, I create the operational sequences on the screen, and I deal with the control of the connected measurement systems. We collect market requirements and then design their implementation together with the development team. When the programmers have finished, I check the result and support the software update until its launch.
Non-contact measurement is particularly popular at the moment. Do you think this trend is here to stay?
During this COVID-19 crisis, we have actually noticed how important our measurement technology is for the medical retail business. But even during “normal” times, it’s really beneficial for medical retailers. They benefit from faster measurement and order processes, freeing up time to provide in-depth consultations. And we can see that customers using measurement technology show bigger average growth than those without. Measurement technology is the way to the product. And this development will continue.
It seems you can’t live without measurement technology either. Why did you take a system home?
Like many colleagues, I also work from home at the moment. And for my current project, I’m conducting many tests with our “portable” Bodytronic system. That’s why I set the system up in my study.
And do you sometimes have “a little visitor”?
Yes, that’s our youngest addition to the family. Luckily, my wife is currently on maternity leave. So, unlike many others, she didn’t have to try and juggle working from home and taking care of the children. Instead, she could just be there for our three kids. Still, home schooling wasn’t always easy. But our two older children returned to school at the end of May, at least until noon. For the kids, in particular, that’s a little bit of normality they’ve longed for.
About Andreas Körner
The 40-year-old certified computer scientist lives in Plauen, Germany, with his wife and three children. Luckily, he has enough space in his study to accommodate the 3D measurement technology. That means he can easily work from home and, at the same time, be more involved in family life. Andreas has been developing the software for our Bodytronic measurement technology at Bauerfeind for 14 years. In particular, he appreciates the excellent teamwork with all his internal and external colleagues who work on developing the measurement technology, integrate it in the online shop and are responsible for marketing and service.