The Schlemmer Group is celebrating its 60th anniversary today with a full day of festivities in its company headquarters in Poing near Munich. Alongside the approx. 100 site employees and the German Management Team, the event also saw representatives from politics and the media joining the celebrations. In all, 18 Schlemmer sites in Germany, Europe, the US, Mexico, South America, the Middle East and Asia were included in the event via live video broadcasts of the celebrations throughout the day.
Robert Niedergesäß, Chief Administrative Officer of the Landkreis of Ebersberg, emphasised the major economic importance of the global player for the region. "I am very impressed with what Schlemmer is bringing to the world from its base here in Poing," he said.
Josef Minster, CEO of the company since 1999, looked back over the history of the company in his speech, a period spanning over half a century now. He also revealed one of the Schlemmer Group's recipes for success: "The early and very consistent internationalisation of the company, a policy that began in Singapore in 1988 and has now become one of our most important company objectives, enables us to offer genuine added value on site." He also paid special tribute to the employees of the Schlemmer Group: "Our company culture has been largely shaped by our original location, despite our global direction: our employees know what it means to work hard, but they also know the value of cultivating the proverbial Bavarian warmth and conviviality at the end of the working day. Naturally, times weren't always rosy for our company over the past 60 years - but our team has always shown that they can stand shoulder to shoulder in times of crisis and thereby successfully overcome difficult situations. For this, I would like to thank all members of staff from the bottom of my heart", said Minster.
Christian von der Linde, CFO for the past two years, spoke about the outlook for the further growth of the Schlemmer Group in his speech: "60 years old today and the Schlemmer has become a well structured, solvent and liquid company as well as one that is optimally positioned for the future. Our goal is to double our turnover from the current figure of € 240 million to € 400 million by the year 2020. Reflecting this growth, the number of employees will also increase from our current workforce of 2,000 to roughly 3,000."
To realise these ambitious plans, over the coming years the Schlemmer Group will be implementing a range of central projects that were recently defined in the ONE SPIRIT 2020 roadmap. This means that investment in research and development will need to be tripled. Further company acquisitions and the opening of new sites abroad should further strengthen the company's technological leadership and market presence. "Last but not least, an investment in the future is also an investment in staff. Schlemmer is already regarded as a very attractive employer due to its bonus and contribution schemes and its high social responsibility. Our goal is to solidify our reputation as the TOP employer and training company for people in the region and for talented young recruits abroad," emphasised Minster.
Another attraction of the 60th anniversary was the exhibition designed by members of the staff in which a number of historical exhibits documented the development of the company over the past 60 years. For example, little is known about the chance encounter between the company's long-serving managing director Adolf König and the MAN engineer Emil Knobloch. An order placed by the German Federal Armed Forces with MAN to develop a vehicle that would be capable of travelling through water with a depth of 120 cm is what inspired the developer to come up with his idea: He subsequently placed an order with Schlemmer, which mainly specialised in sanitary products at the time, for a large number of commercial shower hoses and used these to protect the electrics of the vehicle prototype from water. And thus the cable protector was born. It has, in the meantime, been developed by Schlemmer into a highly more sophisticated product and is now sold around the world.
Robert Niedergesäß, Chief Administrative Officer of the Landkreis of Ebersberg, emphasised the major economic importance of the global player for the region. "I am very impressed with what Schlemmer is bringing to the world from its base here in Poing," he said.
Josef Minster, CEO of the company since 1999, looked back over the history of the company in his speech, a period spanning over half a century now. He also revealed one of the Schlemmer Group's recipes for success: "The early and very consistent internationalisation of the company, a policy that began in Singapore in 1988 and has now become one of our most important company objectives, enables us to offer genuine added value on site." He also paid special tribute to the employees of the Schlemmer Group: "Our company culture has been largely shaped by our original location, despite our global direction: our employees know what it means to work hard, but they also know the value of cultivating the proverbial Bavarian warmth and conviviality at the end of the working day. Naturally, times weren't always rosy for our company over the past 60 years - but our team has always shown that they can stand shoulder to shoulder in times of crisis and thereby successfully overcome difficult situations. For this, I would like to thank all members of staff from the bottom of my heart", said Minster.
Christian von der Linde, CFO for the past two years, spoke about the outlook for the further growth of the Schlemmer Group in his speech: "60 years old today and the Schlemmer has become a well structured, solvent and liquid company as well as one that is optimally positioned for the future. Our goal is to double our turnover from the current figure of € 240 million to € 400 million by the year 2020. Reflecting this growth, the number of employees will also increase from our current workforce of 2,000 to roughly 3,000."
To realise these ambitious plans, over the coming years the Schlemmer Group will be implementing a range of central projects that were recently defined in the ONE SPIRIT 2020 roadmap. This means that investment in research and development will need to be tripled. Further company acquisitions and the opening of new sites abroad should further strengthen the company's technological leadership and market presence. "Last but not least, an investment in the future is also an investment in staff. Schlemmer is already regarded as a very attractive employer due to its bonus and contribution schemes and its high social responsibility. Our goal is to solidify our reputation as the TOP employer and training company for people in the region and for talented young recruits abroad," emphasised Minster.
Another attraction of the 60th anniversary was the exhibition designed by members of the staff in which a number of historical exhibits documented the development of the company over the past 60 years. For example, little is known about the chance encounter between the company's long-serving managing director Adolf König and the MAN engineer Emil Knobloch. An order placed by the German Federal Armed Forces with MAN to develop a vehicle that would be capable of travelling through water with a depth of 120 cm is what inspired the developer to come up with his idea: He subsequently placed an order with Schlemmer, which mainly specialised in sanitary products at the time, for a large number of commercial shower hoses and used these to protect the electrics of the vehicle prototype from water. And thus the cable protector was born. It has, in the meantime, been developed by Schlemmer into a highly more sophisticated product and is now sold around the world.
