30 years at Axonlab. An interview with Marcel Grögli

For 30 years, Marcel Grögli has been part of Axonlab and has closely witnessed and helped shape the company’s development. Starting as a service technician in a small team and progressing to his current role as team leader, he has not only built up technical expertise but also taken on responsibility and contributed to shaping structures.

His journey shows how curiosity, commitment and openness can continuously open up new perspectives. In this interview, he shares what has motivated him over the years, which projects have particularly shaped him and what good collaboration means to him.

Marcel Grögli
Support Services Manager and Admin Helpline

What motivated you to join Axonlab 30 years ago?

After completing my training as an electronics technician, I was looking for an exciting field of work. Medical technology sounded interesting. I came across a job advertisement from Axonlab looking for a service technician in the Baden area towards the east. A longer phone call with Roland, a visit to Niederrohrdorf and a lunch with Roland and Bruno made the decision to join Axonlab very easy for me.

How have you developed over this time and what changes have you experienced?

As medical technology was completely new to me and blood was not much more than a red liquid back then, there was a lot of background knowledge to build up. As the company grew, when I started we were around 15 employees, new devices and new tasks were constantly added. As the technical team grew and Timo could no longer manage everything himself, I was eventually able to take on my first technicians in the role of team leader.

What do you value most about working at Axonlab?

Supporting my team members, collaborating with other teams and having direct contact with customers make my work particularly varied.

Is there a project or experience that has particularly stayed in your memory?

There are quite a few. One project has been with me for over 25 years, sometimes more intensively, sometimes more in the background. The diagnostics helpline. In the beginning, we field technicians were also responsible for telephone support. Later, we started hiring MPAs in technical support and training them for customer support.

When the German branch was added and the volume of support increased significantly, one technician per day was scheduled on site at the helpline. This still supports the helpline team today. For the past two years, I have been leading the helpline and workshop team, which I really enjoy.

What is your favourite product at Axonlab and why?

Without a doubt, the ABX Micros. It was the first device I worked with at Axonlab. At the beginning, there was enough time to explore all its functions out of curiosity and try out what happens when you press this button or open that menu. I quickly knew the device inside out. In many cases, I already knew before visiting the customer where to look and which part needed replacing.

What advice would you give to someone who has just started at Axonlab?

Stay curious, think along and look beyond your own area into other departments.

What special talent do you have that most people don’t know about?

I am quite good in the kitchen, especially when it comes to baking. I also used to be a passionate ice hockey player. Today, I mainly enjoy the role of a knowledgeable spectator in the stands.

What three things would you take with you to a deserted island?

Swiss chocolate, a veeeery large bottle of wine and my better half.

If you could give an award to a colleague at Axonlab, who would it be and why?

Over 30 years, many colleagues come to mind who would deserve an award. As a former ice hockey player, it is clear to me that success is always a team effort.

That is why I greatly value the collaboration with my helpline and workshop team as well as the technical team. But even the best technical team cannot succeed without all the other dedicated employees. Or as our German colleagues like to say, the Axonlab A Team.