What do you do? Daniela Verhaeg, marketing manager SBU X-ray Inspection, Mettler-Toledo Safeline X-ray

What do you do?​
I am the marketing manager at Mettler-Toledo Safeline X-ray, a provider of x-ray technology for product inspection. From Hertfordshire, UK, I am responsible for strengthening the positioning of the global brand and marketing strategy creation through devising and implementing campaigns to accompany the launch of x-ray systems. This means transforming complex technical details into clear messages and ensuring our prospective and existing customers receive all the necessary sales and marketing literature about Mettler-Toledo Safeline X-ray’s product inspection equipment to benefit their future business growth.

How did you get into the industry?​
I was born in Germany in 1978. At Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Germany. I studied business economics, specialising in marketing – which was always my main business passion. In 2004, I came to England to work in marketing at Bosch Rexroth, before joining Mettler-Toledo in 2008.

What do you like most about your job?​
As a marketing expert, I especially enjoy working in an international company with a good reputation and a strong focus on research and development. Mettler-Toledo Safeline X-ray has a long history of inventing innovative technologies that have become an industry standard. This provides our marketing and communications programme with a reliable basis to build on. We are able to establish close connections with a variety of target groups. For me personally, this is a great strategic starting point for all my tasks.

I love the industry we are operating in as everyone enjoys food and it is a good feeling to be part of making our food safe. Using x-ray technology for food inspection is still relatively new and many people who don’t work in the industry are not aware of it. So I enjoy educating them about this technology and what it does. We have a fantastic and very experienced team developing the machines and working in the field close to our customers. It is important to be passionate about your job, especially when you work in marketing as you need to find ways to sell your technology via PR, brochures, papers etc. and you don’t always have a chance to communicate with your target audience face to face.

What's the hardest thing about your job?​
As I am responsible for the marketing of x-ray inspection systems globally, the hardest element is to ensure we continually develop our products so our clients stay ahead of local and international industry food and pharmaceutical safety legislation. This is so they can successfully export their products and get ahead of their competitors.

All markets are different and face varying challenges so we have to make sure our marketing is suitable for each local market and not just for a mass audience.

Is there such a thing as a typical day for you?​
No one day is typical. For example, it could involve brainstorming with my team about a new marketing campaign to a teleconference with one of the country marketing teams to ascertain their marketing needs – to doing a customer interview for a case study or briefing an agency about a video shoot.

As we are creating a range of tools across the world, each day is different. We have to do a lot of research of what is currently a hot topic in what market. We monitor the product recalls and reports to understand the trends. We also try and stay with marketing trends, to see how we can utilise channels such as social media within our B2B environment.

As we are part of a big global organisation, we have a lot of directives and guidelines to follow which is necessary for organisations like ours. But we can still be creative within these guidelines. There are many tools and ideas which I want to try out and I love to see people's reactions when they see a campaign which we have developed.

What advice would you give people interested in a job in your field?​
There are two important criteria for starting a career in marketing. First of all, you should focus on getting a good education. Learning about marketing approaches, sales, research, economics, and finance – to name just a few important fields of interest – enables you to analyse your company’s situation, develop an appropriate marketing strategy and plan target-oriented exercises. Of course, this includes using your budget wisely and evaluating all activities. My second piece of advice would be to explore any industry that they are interested in. For younger people, they can do this while they are still at university. Internships or student jobs can offer valuable insights into specific industries and allow young people to better assess which direction to follow on their career paths.

Personally, I never thought I would be working in the engineering/manufacturing industry. When I started my first job as a student someone even had to explain to me the difference between hydraulics and pneumatics. But once I started working in this field I loved it. It is important you can identify with the company and industry you are working in. If you want to work in marketing you also need some important personal attributes. For example, being flexible is important as every day is different and the market we communicate with is constantly changing. You need to be open to new ideas, be creative and be a good team player as you constantly have to work with other departments to understand the market and your product.

Has working in the food industry made you watch your diet more carefully?​
The main difference now is that I am aware of the rigorous testing and product inspection procedures that manufacturers and retailers implement to ensure the food they produce is 100% safe and to a high standard – the majority of consumers are still oblivious to these facts.

What do you see as the next top trend in five years’ time?​
Smaller, faster systems with combined functionality - not just in terms of x-ray inspection systems but all aspects of IT and technology.

What’s your favourite product and why?​
The X33- it was the first one of our next generation range of x-ray inspection systems. I loved launching this product and I think it looks amazing compared to other x-ray machines in the marketplace, plus I am fascinated what it can do for our customers in terms of product safety.