Dr. Julian Hess is a prominent leader in the automotive industry and plays a key role in shaping the future of mobility and customer experience. Since 2025, as Director of Ford Customer Service, he has been responsible for the service and spare parts business in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland – a crucial area in times of digital transformation and rising customer expectations. 

Previously, he led key strategic initiatives for the realignment of Ford's passenger car business in Europe as Director of PV Strategy & Business Transformation. He gained extensive consulting experience prior to that as a project manager at the Boston Consulting Group, focusing on strategy, digitalization, and aftersales. 

With a doctorate in technology and management as well as business administration training in Mannheim and Cologne, Dr. Hess combines analytical excellence with visionary thinking – and consistently drives the further development of the automotive customer business in a networked, service-oriented future.

Walter Fröhlich has worked in service for more than four decades. He began his career in 1979 as an apprentice at the mechanical engineering and specialist civil engineering group BAUER. From the very beginning, he was involved in the Parts & Service department and learned the service business from the ground up. Since 2011, he has headed the Parts & Service division at BAUER Maschinen GmbH globally and travels the world for BAUER. 

To be successful in Parts & Service, you simply have to enjoy the work 24/7 and you should have a very good understanding of the market potential. 

When he's not helping a customer, he simply enjoys life with the same intensity with which he performs his job.

Michel Ahring is responsible for global after-sales at Hymmen Maschinenbau. After several years in operational service, he has strategically realigned the service and spare parts division and introduced innovative digital solutions such as AI-supported spare parts planning. 

Hymmen manufactures complex machines and systems for industrial surface finishing. The challenge: a high variety of spare parts, uncertain demand, and manual planning led to unnecessarily high inventory levels coupled with frequent parts shortages. With PartsOS Planning, Hymmen is implementing an AI-based demand forecast for the first time, intelligently analyzing historical consumption data, machine runtimes, and external factors. The result: inventory levels are reduced in a targeted manner, parts availability measurably increases, and planning effort is significantly reduced.

Andreas Paatz has been working in the machine tool industry for over 25 years, initially as a project and sales manager in the new machine business – primarily in Asia – and for the past 10 years has been responsible for the aftermarket at KAPP NILES. Long before circular economy became the new buzzword in mechanical engineering, Andreas Paatz developed strategies for extending the product lifecycle of grinding machines and focuses on re-controlling and retrofitting for KAPP NILES machines. He is also transforming traditional service from asset transfer to a subscription-based business model. When he's not busy developing new business strategies for service at KAPP NILES, Andreas Paatz relaxes by hiking and mountain biking.

Dr. Martin Ruth joined the MARKT-PILOT team at the beginning of 2022 and has been actively involved in shaping the company's success story since its early days. As Managing Director, he is responsible for Finance, People, and Operations.  

Previously, he worked at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he supported energy companies, manufacturing firms, and mechanical engineering companies in strategy development and implementation. The diversity of the projects allowed him to significantly deepen his expertise in structured analysis, growth strategies, and problem-solving. He began his career at KPMG, where he advised companies in a wide range of industries on financial processes, accounting, and compliance.  

Martin Ruth earned his doctorate from the Technical University of Dortmund with quantitative research on the success factors of start-ups and scale-ups. He now combines this academic perspective with practical experience, bringing a deep understanding of innovative business models and entrepreneurial dynamics to MARKT-PILOT.

Andris has over twelve years of experience working with leading OEMs across Europe, with a clear focus on the aftermarket and spare parts business. He began his career in management consulting, where he developed in-depth expertise in strategic analysis, problem-solving, and operational excellence. A strong advocate of data-driven decision-making, he is now Head of Nordics & Italy at Markt-Pilot, responsible for the company's continued expansion in Northern and Southern Europe. His passion for innovation and sustainable growth is reflected in his commitment to developing tailored and effective solutions for the specific needs of his clients.