“Our primary focus is always on our staff. This remains true regardless of whether a customer requires on-site personnel or is looking to outsource processes for cost-efficiency,” summarizes Mr. Pollok, underlining the company’s commitment to staff and service quality.
Operations in Türkiye and Kosovo
At present, Trenkwalder boasts its own branches in Eastern Europe, Turkey, and Kosovo. A notable operation is in Hungary where components are manufactured for a renowned German toy manufacturer. This manufacturing contract had previously been stationed in Asia but was moved back to Europe due to issues in the supply chain, as reported by Pollok. However, the identity of this particular customer remains confidential.
In Turkey, Trenkwalder has about 500 employees who handle a wide range of customer service tasks, some even from their home offices. The decision to outsource these operations has proven to be financially beneficial for the clients, given the higher wage costs in Central Europe.
Expanding into South Africa and Ghana
Mr. Pollok is now setting his sights on the African continent, with plans to establish Trenkwalder branches there. He says, “We want to explore new markets in Africa as recruiting in Europe is becoming increasingly challenging.” Countries like South Africa, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Rwanda are on their radar. In these areas, they aim to recruit skilled workers into high-demand jobs and also undertake offshoring or contract manufacturing.
As of now, staffing service providers are not permitted to bring in skilled workers in high-demand jobs to Austria as temporary employees. Pollok sees this as a significant drawback, arguing that the temporary employment industry could play a pivotal role in migration. “We have the most familiarity with the labor markets.”
Pollok also identifies potential in providing further training for the unemployed. Temporary employment agencies are required to train their staff during downtime. However, the union claims that this is not happening as often as it should. Instead, temporary workers usually end up at the AMS (Public Employment Service Austria). Pollok envisions partnering with the AMS to offer training courses. He cites the example of their operation in Switzerland, “We are already doing this in Switzerland for the watch industry, where we train watchmakers from France and then deploy the staff.”
