"Technical Progress Needs Copper!"
Interview with Bernd Glauner, Managing Partner of Ferd. Haecker GmbH & Co. KG
Ferd. Haecker GmbH & Co. KG from Pforzheim has made a name for itself in many industries as a reliable, competent and customer-oriented supplier of semi-finished products made from copper, copper alloys, and aluminum. In this interview, company owner Bernd Glauner revealed why, despite all current disruptions, he looks to the future with great optimism and has made far-sighted investments for the future especially in light of the current market correction.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Glauner, originally Ferd. Haecker GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1885 as a supplier to the jewelry and watch industry—a sector that has become almost meaningless for you.
Bernd Glauner: Indeed, until the 1980s, our company primarily supplied the traditional industries in Pforzheim, which included jewelry manufacturers, watch factories, chain factories, and similar enterprises, until a severe structural transformation began, causing these industries to largely lose their importance. Today, instead, we are engaged as a service center and distributor for semi-finished products made from non-ferrous metals with technical applications. This means we stock coils, sheets, rods, wires, tubes, and profiles primarily made from copper and copper alloys, and cut them to size as required by our customers. Subsequently, our semi-finished products are used in various industries—from the main segment of automotive, through electrical engineering and mechanical engineering, to automation technology and many others, where they ultimately almost always end up in electrically conductive components.
Wirtschaftsforum: All these industries have felt the macroeconomic market correction of the past few years distinctly—what does this mean for your company?
Bernd Glauner: We are certainly in the midst of a disruption in industrial processing in Germany, where there is indeed a risk that we will not maintain the importance we have had as an industrial location. The causes of this are certainly multifactorial—I therefore do not want to single out politics as the predominant culprit, even though excessive bureaucracy certainly keeps many companies from focusing entirely on what they can and want to achieve: namely dealing with their products, markets, and customers and further developing their technologies. Much creativity and valuable know-how is lost, which could be used much more sensibly elsewhere. Against this background, it is even more important for us as a medium-sized company to do our homework and focus on our strengths. In this regard, I am not at all worried about our future.
Wirtschaftsforum: What makes you optimistic?
Bernd Glauner: I am convinced that we are active in an industry that is indispensable for global technological advancement – because technical progress requires copper. With a broadly diversified product and service portfolio as well as diverse and mature customer and supplier relationships, Ferd. Haecker GmbH & Co. KG is well positioned to continue operating stably in the market – a perspective with which I specifically want to inspire confidence. I get the impression that in Germany at the moment, we are in a phase where everything is being talked down a bit, and frankly, I find that quite terrible. Instead of burying our heads in the sand, we need much more optimism and courage, which our company has indeed demonstrated recently.
Economic Forum: Why?
Bernd Glauner: Despite the overall economic downturn, we have decided to invest in a new strip cutting center, for which we are currently realizing a large extension project to create 2,500 m² of new factory space. The construction work should be completed by the end of the year, so that shortly thereafter the associated machinery can be installed and start operating. The centerpiece here is a new cutting system with an automated packaging line, which represents a major technological leap for us, as it allows us to cut even significantly larger coils, or even special surface-coated materials using a vacuum brake. This significant investment project is accompanied by a growth project, in which we have also used external expertise to put all the processes in our house - from sales and product range design to internal processes - to the test in order to subsequently optimize them sustainably. In this way, we want to maintain and continue to act competently and close to our customers in the market while preserving our strengths as a family-run, independent company.
Economic Forum: What do you see as the long-term greatest challenges for the market segments in which your company is active?
Bernd Glauner: I believe that in light of recent political events, we must have no illusions: We urgently need to learn to act united as Europeans, and quickly leave behind the pettiness in which everyone only represents their own interests. Without this cohesion and appropriate structures, we will not be able to maintain our position in the world - and we will only be successful if we can all build on a strong economy together in Europe. If we manage this - and everyone is willing to contribute individually to this - I look to the future with great confidence despite all challenges.