For the past 9 months, Antoine Deloffre has been at the helm of Schindler Maroc, a subsidiary of Schindler, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. “As soon as I joined the Schindler Group, I immediately appreciated the company’s values of quality, safety and rigour ”, he says. Antoine Deloffre sees in this celebration the commemoration of a century and a half of trust built around the customer promise. “The legacy of these 150 years of history is expressed in our commitment to the quality of the services and products we provide, in our commitment to the safety of our employees and of the millions of Moroccans using our products every day, and in our ability to support our customers in their projects in all circumstances. This legacy obliges us to rise to the occasion every day and to improve continuously”.
Under his leadership, Schindler Maroc has distinguished itself through the completion of emblematic projects such as the finalisation of the Mohammed VI Tower in Rabat, as well as other leading infrastructure, notably in the hotel and sports sectors. “At Schindler, every customer is important. The daily commitment and professionalism of each of our technicians and installers, from Dakhla to Oujda, from Erfoud to Taghazout, are our greatest asset”, stresses Antoine Deloffre.
Anticipating our customers’ needs
It must be said that, in the construction field, the lift and escalator sector is constantly evolving, and Schindler attaches particular importance to providing comprehensive support to its customers in order to meet their expectations. For Antoine Deloffre, “For our construction business, it is no longer just a matter of importing and installing equipment, but of supporting our customers in the engineering phase, providing a world-class project management service, bringing solutions to any issues encountered and ensuring perfect technical compliance”. He goes on: “As regards our service business, more and more of our customers value quality preventive maintenance and repair work carried out to the highest standards, protecting their investment. We are also there for our customers to offer them modernisation solutions that improve the quality of service”.
Schindler Maroc also stands out for its commitment to technological innovation. “We are pioneers in the introduction of digital solutions, such as remote alarm and preventive remote maintenance via IoT, which are redefining the way we manage and maintain our equipment”, specifies the Managing Director.
In his profession, Antoine Deloffre has experienced some memorable situations. He recalls one anecdote in particular: “I remember a few nights working in machine rooms, 250 metres above the ground, feeling the slight swaying of the building’s steel structure…”
Passions and work-life balance
Outside work, Antoine Deloffre cultivates a passion for sport, notably running, hiking and the rowing machine. He also devotes time to his family, his plants and reading, another of his passions: “I am a great reader and I particularly like discovering the literature of the countries where I am lucky enough to live. And among the books that have particularly struck me, I could mention, for Chile, one of the dark investigations of detective Heredia by Ramón Díaz Eterovic; for Mexico: ‘The True History of the Conquest of New Spain’ by Bernal Diaz del Castillo, an authentic, epic and poignant account; and for Quebec: ‘The Weight of Snow’ by Christian Guay-Poliquin, which plunges into a winter with a capital W”.
Since his arrival in Morocco, Antoine Deloffre has been struck by the Kingdom’s legendary hospitality. “On all my travels, I have systematically met people ready to welcome me as if we had always known each other, like the time I tasted a rfissa in a local home, in a small village in the Bouregreg valley”, he recounts, full of wonder.
Chinese Portrait:
- If you were a colour, which one would you be? Blue-grey. The colour of the clouds before the storm.
- A country? Too difficult! Perhaps a mix of Mexico and Quebec.
- A personality? Henri IV. It sounds presumptuous, but it is only a nod to my home town of Pau, former capital of the Kingdom of Navarre.
- An animal? An octopus. Almost an extraterrestrial, so different is it from vertebrates, yet endowed with astonishing cognitive abilities.
- A connected object? A lift, obviously.
- A superpower? Hypermnesia, that would come in very handy.
- A book? A terrible choice! “4 3 2 1” by Paul Auster. A lesson in humility and stoicism.