Better together – that is the motto at Festool. After all, when it comes to solutions that make painters' work easier, experienced application engineers such as Johann Schlosser devote their full attention. Their aim? Listen well and become better. In line with this principle, Festool always listens to its customers and involves them in developing new products. A case study with test customer Valentin Schlienz on one of his construction sites.

For Festool, customer satisfaction is not just a source of pride, but an absolute must. Finding successful solutions together with the product users is both an incentive and a competitive advantage. Right from the start, the company relies on conscientious work, qualified application engineers, comprehensive service and, above all, its customers' expertise. High-quality power tools are the result of close partnership. A win-win situation with a long history.

Application engineers at Festool don't just sit on their own at their desks. They are practically-minded and work closely with customers. Johann Schlosser is that kind of person. Just his decisive handshake alone is enough to confirm it. The master painter came to Festool more than ten years ago and has been working in application technology since 2013. He spends very little working time at his desk, preferring to be out and about with the customers, on building sites – in other words, wherever he can see a way to make painters' work easier.

Expert painters and architects
Johann Schlosser on a building site at the Hafenmarkt in Esslingen with his customer Valentin Schlienz. In 2009 he founded his own company in Esslingen am Neckar together with Axel Schenke: the MALERTEKTEN. The company name is a nice amalgamation of what they do: both are painters, known as ‘Maler’ in German, and Schenke is also an architect. They plan and execute building projects with the help of their 12-person team.

A visit to the rustic vaulted cellar
So they provide everything from one place – which is pretty unusual, and always demanding. Together with his employees, Valentin Schlienz unloads his vehicle. The Systainers are quickly and easily stacked on the roll board so that it does not have to run five times. He leads us to a rustic vaulted cellar and beams. Although at this point you can only imagine the result, he already has a clear idea of how it will soon look. The painter lives for his work and also thinks outside the box. In the case of the Hafenmarkt project, those limits involve food, because this isn’t just any building site: Schlienz is working on his new restaurant ‘Embargo’ here. A painter and a restaurateur? It is rather unusual, but you immediately get the sense that the enterprising doer will succeed.

Simply better: Work processes and work results
Valentin Schlienz is not only a loyal Festool test customer, but a particularly critical one. ‘How more efficient workflows are established using tools and the work result is improved, that is really important,’ he emphasises. ‘And in that respect, Johann Schlosser is exactly the right contact person.’ They often sit together and talk shop about which tools work best or about product details that make a big impact.

Communication and implementation
Take the cordless sanders, for example: ‘There are lots of sanders on the market, of course, with a cumbersome battery that is always in the way. Working with the customer, we managed to integrate the battery into the handle perfectly ergonomically," explains Johann Schlosser. It was also due to customer requests that Festool introduced the inconspicuous but useful hook-and-loop fastener, which can be used to very easily bundle up the suction hose and mains power cable between the tool and mobile dust extractor. The special bracket on the mobile dust extractor for the PLANEX was also developed from use, so that the long-reach sander does not have to be placed on the floor in between working sessions.

‘The feedback we get from customers is absolutely crucial, because that’s where lots of ideas and solutions for new developments or further developments of products come from.’
Johann Schlosser, Festool application technician

"Put through its paces"
Based on his long-standing experience, Johann Schlosser is best able to foresee what customers need – from a technical application, practical and cost-efficiency standpoint. "We continuously consult with our test customers; with new products, we sometimes involve them as much as three or four years before the product is launched on the market," he explains. Whatever Festool develops is put through its paces, but the real test is when the tools are with the customers, being put to day-to-day use. So, the application technician first gives a functional prototype or a pre-series product to test customers in selected markets, international above all. ‘The feedback we get from these customers,’ Schlosser explains, ‘ is absolutely crucial, because that’s where lots of ideas and solutions for new developments or further developments of products come from.’

Always another idea
So when application engineers and customers exchange information in a professional manner, the focus is on the best solution. ‘Naturally this requires a lot of trust, and also a willingness to offer honest opinions,’ says Schlosser. He gets this from test customer, Valentin Schlienz, in any case. In the vaulted cellar, Schlienz draws in parapets and a closed kitchen in dry mortarless construction. He doesn’t have a lot of light for painting, but thanks to his four SYSLITE DUO construction lights, he’s able to illuminate large areas of the windowless room almost as if it were outdoors in the daylight. The walls are sanded with the ETS EC eccentric sander, and for large areas the painter uses the PLANEX long-reach sander. And, of course, the cordless sanders with 18 V Ergo battery packs are a must on every construction site, ensuring the best results even in the most awkward corners. "With us, every handle must fit and everything must interlock. The Festool system is an excellent way of achieving this," says Valentin Schlienz.

Completion on schedule
This, of course, also applies to the construction site in the vaulted cellar, as this is where the bar and restaurant "Embargo" was opened just under three weeks later. To the untrained eye, the timing seemed impossible. Everything here really did still look like a rough building site. But Valentin Schlienz was sure of himself: ‘Actually we're almost finished. We’ll definitely get it done.’

And Valentin Schlienz was not wrong. As planned, Embargo was opened in December 2019 and the results are truly impressive.

Information about Festool is available at www.festool.co.uk