"Flexibility and customer proximity are crucial for our success!"
Interview with Thomas Reisgies, Managing Director of Burkholz GmbH
With their decades of experience in conventional sheet metal processing, Burkholz GmbH from the Greater Würzburg area has evolved into a manufacturer of special load carriers for the automotive industry, among other things. Managing Director Thomas Reisgies explained in an interview why, from his perspective, the entire sheet metal processing industry needs to leave its comfort zone.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Reisgies, for many decades, Burkholz GmbH has been known for its expertise in conventional sheet metal processing. A few years ago, you significantly expanded your range of services.
Thomas Reisgies: In addition to producing series parts with tool-bound machines, during which we manufacture items such as shelf bottoms and housing components using hydraulic presses and corresponding forming tools, we set up strong secondary capabilities in flexible sheet metal processing almost ten years ago. In this context, we also made extensive investments in CNC punching and nibbling machines, as well as laser cutting systems, bending presses, and welding robots. Shortly afterwards, we were also able to gain a foothold as tool makers in the automotive industry.
Wirtschaftsforum: Where exactly are you engaged there?
Thomas Reisgies: Initially, we develop custom load carriers and special transport systems for automotive manufacturing in CAD. In the next stage, we also take on the prototype construction of corresponding carrier systems, which are then inspected and approved by the customer. In order to start up his facilities, he usually needs a pre-series of 10 to 20 load carriers, which we provide to him promptly. Once the production readiness of the respective automobile has been achieved and the manufacturing facilities are ready for operation, naturally hundreds or even thousands of pieces of our products are required, which we then produce in close cooperation with our production partners in Eastern Europe.
Wirtschaftsforum: How have you experienced this shift from conventional sheet metal processing to being a supplier for the automotive industry from a business perspective?
Thomas Reisgies: Audi was our first automotive customer back then and showed a great willingness to embark on this path with us – it has brought us incredibly far. Today, nearly all car manufacturers in Germany and their suppliers are our customers. At that time, I also felt an irrepressible desire within our company for everyone to shape this change, to face these challenges, and to grow from them. At that time, we were still a relatively small team of about ten employees. Today, we employ 60 people at our locations in Germany and another 500 in other European countries.
Wirtschaftsforum: You have remained a family-run business nonetheless.
Thomas Reisgies: Absolutely! I have been involved with Burkholz for 30 years myself; before that, my father-in-law took over the business from his father, the original founder. Both of my sons are also active in the company – and even though it would be too soon for them to make a lifelong commitment, I am glad that they have found their place here. I am convinced that it is precisely because of the values we have lived at Burkholz for decades that we have been able to find this strength – that’s why they absolutely must form the foundation for our further development.
Wirtschaftsforum: Which values are particularly important?
Thomas Reisgies: Customer engagement is a very essential aspect in this context – we consistently cater to their wishes and produce exactly what they need in their manufacturing environment. Thanks to this special flexibility, we can also hold our ground well against competitors from the Asian region, who generally try to convince primarily through low prices. Our proximity to our customers also allows us to respond quickly to important market changes and implement new solutions for new challenges promptly. The times in which one often supplied the same customers with the same standard products for years are definitely over in sheet metal processing. Anyone who wants to survive in this market must therefore step out of their comfort zone – and the accompanying innovation is, in my opinion, beneficial for the entire industry!