4 minute read
VENDOR FLIGHT LOG: ASQS GROUP
Günther Schindl lets us into the philosophy of devising solutions with the user’s ease of use in mind that ensures ASQS solutions work so well
Günther Schindl, co-founder and CEO of ASQS, is responsible for the corporate development, sales and customer relations of the ASQS Group. Together with his partners and co-founders Günther Syrowatka (CTO) and Cpt. Wilhelm Kment (Quality Manager) as well as ASQS COO, Eva Lederhilger, he shapes the further development of the group’s corporate strategy. He holds a degree in aviation management and worked for more than a decade as project and quality manager in commercial and business aviation in Austria and Luxembourg.
Aircraft IT: Your name, your job title, and the name of the business?
Günther Schindl: Günther Schindl, co-founder and CEO of the ASQS Group. ASQS stands for Advanced Safety and Quality Solutions.
Aircraft IT: How did ASQS get started?
GS: When safety management systems were to become mandatory for aviation in 2008, I was working as a compliance monitoring manager for an aircraft operator. At that point, my partners and I recognized the need for a web-based platform that would integrate safety and quality management — something that didn’t exist at that time. So, we founded ASQS with the goal of developing an integrated Quality and Safety Management Software (IQSMS) — developed by aviation professionals for aviation professionals. Practical experience in the industry was key. Initially, we focused on the executive and business aviation market, but the increasing interest of airlines in our software IQSMS encouraged us to expand our offer to the entire aviation industry. Over the last 13 years, we have grown from a two-man show to a global software provider with more than 290 aviation customers worldwide today.
Aircraft IT: What is the guiding business principle that drives ASQS?
GS: At ASQS, the requirements and needs of our customers always come first. It is easy to develop software with many functionalities, but keeping it intuitive at the same time to ensure high user acceptance is a challenge. For this reason, our developments are always based on the question, which functionalities would significantly alleviate the daily work of our users and how can these functionalities be implemented in the most userfriendly way possible?
Aircraft IT: What has ASQS’s greatest business achievement been to date, and why?
GS: I think the whole story of ASQS is a great entrepreneurial achievement. We started very small, with only a few thousand euros in our bank account, a vision and a vague idea of how to realize that vision. What we had from day one was a passion for our product, IQSMS, and a will to work hard to make
the aviation industry safer. This will to work hard and provide excellent support and great products to our customers is still part of the ASQS DNA today.
Aircraft IT: What have been your disappointments and what have you learned from them?
GS: Fortunately, we have not experienced any major disappointments so far. One real setback was that we were unable to open an ASQS office in Mexico City as planned due to the pandemic. Although all preparations had been completed, it was not possible to go ahead with our plans. However, there’s no bad without some good — we had to find another location and are now very pleased to have had the chance to open our third ASQS office in Calgary, Canada. What we learned from this particular setback was to include a pandemic in your risk assessment and always have a Plan B.
Aircraft IT: In a sentence, how would you summarize what ASQS does for aircraft operations customers?
GS: With the IQSMS Suite, we offer an intuitive, integrated, and modular software solution for quality, safety, and risk management in the aviation industry. It helps our customers worldwide reduce operational costs, increase operational safety and efficiency, and ensure regulatory compliance.
Aircraft IT: What do you feel will be the next big thing in operations Aviation IT?
GS: I think in our sector it will be artificial intelligence. The goal of future software will be to support users more effectively by allowing them to focus mainly on and invest available resources in situations that pose a high risk to the organizations. Ideally, everything else will be handled by a software. I think that will also be the next big challenge for us at ASQS.
Aircraft IT: What do you want your customers to say about ASQS?
GS: That ASQS is a strong and reliable partner that always tries to find the best solution for its customers by listening to their needs and requirements. A partner that not only sells great software, but also provides an exceptional user experience and customer support.
Aircraft IT: Günther Schindl, thank you for your time.
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