CEO Blog | Jarltech.com

CEO Blog

13/04/2026

Compromise is the enemy of excellence

There is a word that, in many companies, is seen as a sign of maturity: compromise. You meet in the middle, everyone gives a little, everyone gets a little....

There is a word that, in many companies, is seen as a sign of maturity: compromise. You meet in the middle, everyone gives a little, everyone gets a little. Sounds fair. But it isn’t. Because a compromise is usually nothing more than the organised defeat of the best idea.

Compromises rarely arise because two options are equally good. They arise because no one wants to endure the conflict. Because the clock is ticking. Because the courage is lacking to clearly say: this solution is better than that one. The result: mediocrity prevails. A compromise feels safe. It isn’t.

Excellence sometimes means making uncomfortable decisions. Clearly stating what you believe is right. Not hiding behind »we’ve reached an agreement«.

At Jarltech, we strive to ensure that the best solution always wins. Not the most convenient one. Not the loudest one. The best one.

And if that means we occasionally ruffle some feathers – we’re perfectly fine with that.

16/03/2026

Why do we operate a 3,000 m² Event & Training Centre with a showroom in the middle of nowhere?

First of all: what are you thinking? Usingen is, of course, not in the middle of nowhere – it’s less than 30 minutes by car from Frankfurt Airport....

First of all: what are you thinking? Usingen is, of course, not in the middle of nowhere – it’s less than 30 minutes by car from Frankfurt Airport. And yes, the Usingen railway station is right next door. More importantly, our Event & Training Centre is located almost directly beside the Jarltech campus.

So why do we do it? We do it for you – our partners! Our two-story Showroom, the largest permanent exhibition in our industry, is constantly in use:

by partners who present hardware and their own solutions to end customers
by new employees of partners whom we train on the products
by vendors who hold their sales meetings with us and like to have a look at – and even try out – competitors’ products
by vendors who present their latest products

On top of that, we host numerous events in our Jarltech Event & Training Centre where partners invite their end customers… large presentations on the 25 m² video wall, dinners with up to 800 guests (standing) or 250 (seated) at round tables, buffets or relaxed gatherings in our beer garden, bar and lounge. For meetings, there are also eight meeting rooms available for breakout sessions.

And, to be honest, we shouldn’t forget that we also use it ourselves – for training sessions as well as for celebrations. From the Jarltech Summer Party to the Christmas Market, networking dinners or our after-work events. We’ve had just about everything in the hall already: from a go-kart track to tightrope walkers to whisky tastings. And one regular guest every year: me, as Father Christmas.

So, you see – yet another value add from Jarltech that helps drive your business forward. By the way, the Showroom is also available virtually on our website. See you soon in Usingen! And be sure to think about how your company can profit from our investment.

23/02/2026

Distribution Mechanics: Reservation Costs and Inventory Pre-Financing

For large purchase volumes, our vendors generally grant special prices, known as »project prices«....

For large purchase volumes, our vendors generally grant special prices, known as »project prices«. When we receive a project order from one of our resellers, we typically reserve the available stock until the agreed delivery date and order any missing goods from the vendor.

What »some« may not realise – and what »others« might consider commercially absurd – is this: we always purchase the goods from the vendor at the same price, namely the standard distribution purchase price. If, for example, our purchase price for a printer is €100 but the project price is only €50, we actually sell the product at €50 below our own purchase price.

Naturally, once the project has been delivered, the vendor reimburses us the €50 difference. So far, it’s fair.

However, if the delivery stretches over several months, we finance the full €100 value in the meantime. While the system integrator has sold 10,000 printers for €500,000, we are carrying inventory in our warehouse worth €1 million – because we have paid for it upfront.

That explains why distributors always push for projects to be delivered as planned and not postponed 20 times by the end customer – because that is very expensive. With the typically slim distribution margins (yes, here comes the usual complaining), financing costs can easily »eat up« the entire margin within just a few weeks.

With our resellers, this is rarely an issue: they generally only place orders with us once they have received a firm order from the end customer.

It becomes amusing – and particularly costly – when a vendor says: »This project is definitely coming the week after next. Unfortunately, the end of the quarter falls in between, and we need to place the goods into your warehouse tomorrow – so please hold them for now.«

In the best-case scenario, it works out. In the worst case, the reseller is not even aware of the project yet, and the end customer has not fully committed to the vendor. We have seen it all before. So at Jarltech, we have become somewhat more cautious in such situations. Of course, it is part of our job to anticipate deals from time to time – but buying »hot air« indefinitely is not a sound strategy either.

So please have understanding if our sales or purchasing teams occasionally ask a few more detailed questions about the actual status of a project. Because remember: pure »hope« can be expensive.

16/02/2026

Safety gone mad: Health & safety thinks we’re all half-wits!

…or at least incapable of surviving on our own....

…or at least incapable of surviving on our own. Health and safety is important, no question. Safety comes first. But there is such a thing as taking it too far.

Here’s the showstopper right at the beginning:

Our colleagues in the purchasing department are now required to wear safety goggles (eye protection) when leaving their desks. Reason: There are plants in the department with sharp-edged leaves. (Pause.) Seriously?! Yes, seriously. That’s pure slapstick.

Another good one: Our facilities team has just cleared snow. But careful! Cones must be placed around the area where the shovelling is taking place. Someone might otherwise walk into the moving shovel. Quite honestly, anyone not looking where they’re going could just as easily trip over a cone.

And in the kitchen, washing-up liquid has to be locked away. Dishwasher tablets? May only be used by people who have received proper instruction. So yes, that means training for dishwasher tablets.

Desks tend to have corners. Highly dangerous! Therefore, every corner must be fitted with rubber protectors.
Are we in nursery school?
Is it even worth getting worked up about it anymore?

At least that was all within the company. In our private lives, on a construction site, work was immediately halted. Reason: Outside temperature below five degrees Celsius, and the portable toilet wasn’t heated … In a comfort-obsessed country I can almost understand that. I hadn’t even thought about it because I didn’t know heated ones existed. I had it replaced. But do you really have to stop construction over something like that?

I fear the health and safety brigade will soon be paying a visit to our restaurant as well. Without chainmail gloves, handling knives will probably be banned. For guests too, since steak knives are clearly instruments of the devil.

Enough on that subject. I’m going home now, hoping I don’t trip over the dog. He’s stubbornly refusing to wear a high-visibility safety vest.

(Not satire.)

10/02/2026

Distribution Mechanism: Price Protection

We are currently in a phase where manufacturers are significantly increasing their prices....

We are currently in a phase where manufacturers are significantly increasing their prices. And not just once – we expect prices to rise several more times this year. They may then fall.

It has reached the point where some manufacturers only calculate once an order has been placed and then state the price at which they will accept it – the price is then valid for one day. This is somewhat reminiscent of the coronavirus period. However, there is no alternative – we must persevere. The change is clearly most significant for relevant end customers who plan rollouts of thousands of devices over months and want planning security. That is no longer possible – ordering and accepting delivery is the only solution for price security.

Of course, this often leads to the question: »You still have devices in stock that you bought at the old price. We want to get them at a discount too.« – and that is a false conclusion.

In distribution, there is a mechanism called »Price Protection«. This is supposed to protect us from price reductions: If a manufacturer lowers the price, we receive a refund for any items already in stock. »Unfortunately«, it also works the other way around: If a manufacturer increases its prices, we must pay the manufacturer extra for goods in stock. This could result in a bill amounting to several million. So, as you see, we don't have any »cheap, old goods«. Due to frequent price changes, it is also possible for a particular device in our inventory to be repriced several times. While this is a minor nightmare for our inventory management, it is ultimately fair and the only solution.

01/12/2025

Dear doctors, what exactly is going on with sick notes these days?

The average number of sick days is rising… relentlessly....

The average number of sick days is rising… relentlessly. Soon the amount of sick leave taken by employees will even exceed the statutory minimum holiday entitlement. And yet it was assumed that, because of the extensive working-from-home rules, the number of sick days would actually go down on average. But they aren’t. This leads to an enormous economic burden. And do doctors share some of the responsibility?

First of all, if doctors are all so good, why are people ill so often? And secondly, shouldn’t we perhaps point out to the doctors – typically high earners – what their actual position in the economy is? Here’s the hard truth: doctors generally make no contribution whatsoever to net economic output. Doctors are paid by the collective of health-insurance contributors – a compulsory levy. Even the taxes doctors pay in abundance are, in the end, funded by the same insured community.

So why do doctors harm this very community so often? Because it costs them nothing? I’ve just looked at around 200 sick notes in my company. Why do they always run from Monday to Friday? Wouldn’t Monday to Thursday be enough sometimes? I’ve never seen that happen.

And what I also have never seen are »restricted« sick notes. A doctor can quite easily classify an employee with an injured foot as »unfit to drive«, which would allow the employer to have them work from home or pay for a taxi. Or a doctor could give a recommendation such as: »The employee is suffering from a contagious illness but can easily work five hours a day, should be allowed to sleep in, and must avoid contact with other people.« An employer is bound by such a note – and may or may not still be able to make use of the employee.

But as I said: I have never seen anything like that in 33 years as an employer. Frankly, it’s a scandal – and perhaps it’s time to consider whether employers might, one day, have a claim for damages based on such omissions. I’d be in favour of that!

11/11/2025

LinkedIn is great… except for…

Dear friends, I love LinkedIn. It’s the last platform that still manages to give me an interesting news feed....

Dear friends, I love LinkedIn. It’s the last platform that still manages to give me an interesting news feed. And I truly enjoy seeing what my business partners are up to.

But there’s one thing missing: a defence mechanism. I receive around ten connection requests EVERY DAY from coaches, brokers, consultants, and intermediaries. Why on earth? Does the fact that I appear to be a successful business consultant mean that I urgently need a life coach who has fewer than 100 followers?

For weeks, my tagline has read: »Requests from people who only want to sell me something are welcome. By sending me a request, you agree to pay a €500 invoice in exchange for a 10-minute call.«

But no one seems to care. These people just click without even bothering to read my text. It drives me mad. Prospecting without preparation is pointless. Honestly, good leads cost money. I could name ten people right now whom I’d gladly pay €500 for a 10-minute call with, even if I didn't want to sell them anything.

But seriously, how delusional do you have to be to think that a businessman is waiting for your cold request as a part-time life coach or sales trainer?

@LinkedIn: Please fix this! I'll even pay if you let me set a filter that says: »No requests from strangers or from people who don’t share at least ten connections with me.«

Ideally, people with fewer than ten mutual connections who want to sell something should offer something in return. This would make them valuable leads. I’d even pay for that. I'm vain enough to want to be approached with effort, creativity, and individuality, not with a one-click approach.

27/10/2025

Federal Statistical Office: Abolish It!

Me again on reducing bureaucracy – can't we get rid of something?...

Me again on reducing bureaucracy – can't we get rid of something? Surely every country in Europe has something like a federal statistical office that constantly bothers companies with various surveys.

Well, I can understand that the government wants to know how the economy is doing. But surely not with questionnaires!

Firstly: The tax offices already have quite up-to-date data.

Secondly: How would one rethink this?
Simply have an AI select 300 companies in a country – from different industries, with different customer groups, import and export profiles. These companies would be required to transmit data in real-time. OF COURSE, in exchange for payment. Or the government provides an employee for this purpose.

Then the finance minister can simply press a button on Monday at 1:00 p.m. – and knows exactly how the economy is doing today, Monday afternoon, at 1:00 p.m.

If a bomb goes off somewhere, you can immediately see whether fewer orders come in three hours later or if people start hoarding toilet paper or leaning towards cheaper products because they want to save money.

It’s totally simple, anonymous, data-secure, and doesn't bother anyone who isn't being paid for it.

20/10/2025

How Brussels Makes Us Big: BureaucracyBUILDUP, Now!

There are days when you read a new EU regulation and think: They can’t possibly be serious. But then – a brief moment of enlightenment – you realise: for...

There are days when you read a new EU regulation and think: They can’t possibly be serious. But then – a brief moment of enlightenment – you realise: for Jarltech, that’s not bad news at all. Because where others see nothing but chaos and paperwork in bureaucracy, we see one thing: potential! Scanner potential. Label potential. Mobile potential!

In short: sometimes Brussels delivers more growth than any marketing campaign ever could.

1. The Pizza Box Directive – when the QR Code is Served Hot
New rule: every pizza box must carry a sticker listing ingredients, allergens, CO₂ footprint and the GPS coordinates of the oven. Sounds ridiculous? Perhaps. But from the point of view of the POS industry: a feast! Naturally, such a label has to be temperature-sensitive. Suddenly every pizzeria needs a label printer, every delivery van a mobile scanner – and every customer can trace their pizza digitally.

2. The Traceable Cucumber – from Seed to Salad Bar
The EU wants to know just how bent a cucumber really is. Each one will get its own barcode at harvest, including field number, water consumption and even emotional state at picking. For us, that means: scanners in greenhouses, label printers in agriculture – the barcode grows along with the crop.

3. The Soap Dispenser with a Data Port
Hygiene 2.0: public soap dispensers will soon have to record when and by whom they were refilled – of course via scan or NFC. Sounds like a joke, but it’s almost reality. And we say: finally, IoT that stays clean!

4. The Digital Mop Bucket
In the future, every industrial cleaning agent will need to be traceable. Fill the wrong bucket, and you might soon be committing a data-protection offence. But don’t worry: with our label printers and robust handheld scanners, everything stays cleanly documented.

5. The Baker’s Digitalisation Duty
Bakery sales, 2026: every bread roll will be digitally recorded – with baking time, flour type and temperature curve. That may sound over the top, but these are exactly the kinds of ideas that emerge in Brussels. And us? We provide the scanners, the POS systems, the software.

6. Toilet Paper with Proof of Origin
Paper is patient – and soon traceable too. Every roll will carry a QR code so consumers know which forest the trusted sheet of pulp came from. We see a clear growth market here: scanners for the necessary room. Sustainable, traceable, verifiable.

7. The Barcode for Electric Cars
Every charging session will soon need to be confirmed three times – on the car, the plug and the power source. What sounds like bureaucracy is, in truth, growth!

8. Beverage Tax 2.0: The Barcode as a Receipt
When every cola, every beer and every smoothie soon requires its own tax barcode, that means: more labels, more tech, more sales.

So thank you, Brussels – for every new idea we can turn into scanners, labels and innovation.

More regulations, more opportunities!
Anyone know a decent lobbying organisation in Brussels? Maybe we should all just chip in!

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