Two Sensors for a Complete Indoor Air Quality Solution +++ Is Austria Really “Not That Big Anyway”? +++ Bar-Type Displays with Aspect Ratios up to 5:1 for Compact Applications
2,245 Kilometers, 17 Customers, and One Question:
Is Austria Really “Not That Big After All”?
The SUPPORTER: Robert, hand on heart: who actually came up with the idea of saying, “Let’s go visit some customers. Austria isn’t that big anyway,”?
Robert Stojku: Let’s put it this way: the sentence sounded a lot more harmless at the beginning than it did by the end of the week.
Because what was originally planned as a “short customer tour” quickly turned into a proper winter road trip in January 2026. Starting in Idstein, then heading via Lustenau and Dornbirn in Vorarlberg to Salzburg, through Upper Austria and Lower Austria all the way to Vienna – and then back again.
Across Austria from end to end. From the far west to the far east. And back again.
The final tally: 2,245 kilometers and around 30 hours of pure driving time.
On paper, that is almost an entire working week spent behind the wheel – without even counting customer appointments, conversations, and coffee breaks.
“By the time you hit freezing rain, the whole ‘Austria isn’t that big’ idea starts to feel a little different.”
The SUPPORTER: 2,245 kilometers in January. That doesn’t exactly sound like a leisurely drive.
Robert: It wasn’t always one. Austria gave us the full winter package pretty reliably: stubborn fog in the valleys in the morning, snow-covered roads as soon as we started climbing, and freezing rain on the motorway. Then there are the roads that quickly remind you that speed is relative and patience is essential.
That’s when the phrase “Austria isn’t that big anyway” starts to take on a slightly different meaning. Especially when you’re not looking at the country on a map, but actually driving across it. From Vorarlberg to Vienna, every region has its own rhythm.
The SUPPORTER: What stands out most from the journey and the scenery along the way?
Robert: Definitely the differences between the regions. Vorarlberg welcomes you with an impressive mountain backdrop – and, in winter, with roads that make a very convincing case for why winter tires are more than just a recommendation. Between Lustenau and Dornbirn, things feel down-to-earth, direct, and solution-oriented. And after a few hours on wintry roads, you also understand why something warm and hearty – say, Käsknöpfle – or at least a strong coffee suddenly takes on enormous strategic importance.
Heading toward Salzburg, the landscape opens up and the mountains become gentler. Traffic, on the other hand, starts to pick up. Postcard scenery on the left, full concentration on the right. That supposedly “short stretch” can suddenly feel quite long.
But, as they say in Austria: Es geht sich aus – somehow, it works out. In Upper Austria, the rhythm changes again. More industry, a faster pace, and plenty of topics packed into a short amount of time. It is especially there that you see just how valuable face-to-face exchange can be. Some questions are simply resolved faster and better when everyone involved is sitting around the same table.
Lower Austria, by contrast, showed its more sober winter side: long stretches of road, fog, and very little distraction. Perfect conditions for going over manufacturers, agendas, and key discussion points once more in the car.
And then: Vienna. Big city, traffic, tightly scheduled appointments. That is where preparation, structure, and the ability to stay calm between meetings really matter. Or, to put it another way: less Schmäh, more focus. One week. Seventeen customers. A full agenda.
The SUPPORTER: Who was actually on the road together for this tour?
Robert: Laura Wanko, Claudia Jackson, and me. And our goal was clear from the start: we wanted to have face-to-face conversations with customers, discuss technical topics directly on site, and take the time to address questions that simply cannot be dealt with properly between two phone calls.
The SUPPORTER: And technically, you really got into the details?
Robert: Absolutely. The agenda was correspondingly broad. Among other things, we discussed energy-efficient power management solutions from ABLIC and also introduced the new manufacturers MPS and SGM.
We also covered high-precision RTCs from MICRO CRYSTAL, as well as crystals and lithium coin cells from Seiko Instruments. And, of course, solutions from TOSHIBA – ranging from optocouplers and digital isolators to power MOSFETs and motor driver ICs.
Power electronics from MITSUBISHI Electric were also part of the discussions. The portfolio was rounded out by electromechanical components from ATTEND, including connectors, SIM and SD card holders, and test sockets.
These are technically complex topics. And that is exactly where it makes a difference whether you describe a solution over the phone or sit down with the customer and discuss their specific application in detail. “In the end, it’s not about the kilometers – it’s about working together.”
The SUPPORTER: Seventeen customer visits in one week – there can’t have been much downtime.
Robert: Downtime maybe in the technical sense. Time-wise, definitely not. But that is exactly what made the trip so special. It showed how collaboration works at GLYN: colleagues from Idstein and Austria, together with Field Sales, Technical Sales, and Product Management. On the road as one team, well prepared and closely coordinated.
Of course, somewhere between the motorway, country roads, and hotel parking lots, there were also a few moments when we wondered whether “just quickly over the mountain” really meant quickly. In an Austrian winter, “just over the mountain” can easily mean: one more pass, a bit more snow, and then we’ll see.
Even with the tight schedule, there was always room for exchange. That is an important part of trips like this: you do not only have more in-depth conversations with customers, you also talk more with each other as a team.
And by the end of the week, we had completed 17 face-to-face customer visits. Each one with conversations that simply would not have happened in the same way without this tour.
“Working with Schmäh doesn’t mean not taking things seriously. It means finding a human way to solve them.”
The SUPPORTER: So you didn’t just take away a lot on the technical side. Did the trip leave its mark linguistically as well?
Robert: Definitely. If you spend a week driving through Austria together, you quickly learn that a lot of things are explained here less through grand statements than through small turns of phrase.
An “eh”, for example, rarely signals indifference. It is more like saying: we’ll stay relaxed about it. A “schau ma mal” does not automatically mean putting something off. Often, it simply means: let’s take a proper look at it first. And “geht sich aus” does not mean something will be easy or comfortable. It means: it can be done. We’ll find a way.
The SUPPORTER: And the famous Schmäh?
Robert: Working “with Schmäh” doesn’t mean not taking things seriously. It means finding a human way to solve them. Problems are addressed clearly, but respectfully. Direct on the issue, courteous in tone.
And there was one expression in particular that stayed with us: "Handschlagqualität". It is actually a beautiful word because it describes trust without needing a long explanation. If something is promised, it stands. “Passt so.” Sometimes, that is all you need.
The SUPPORTER: So what remains after 2,245 kilometers?
Robert: First of all, of course: a lot of kilometers. But far more important are the people, the conversations on equal footing, and the open doors. What stayed with us most was how many customers deliberately made time for us despite packed schedules. Time for technical discussions, open questions – and, of course, the occasional coffee.
For that, we would like to say a heartfelt thank you.
Because even if the journey was long, the weather a little challenging, and the schedule full: It was worth it.
The SUPPORTER: And with that, the tour is complete?
Robert: I think there is a perfect Austrian way to put it: Passt so. We’re all agreed on that.