Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Sieberer, we already conducted an interview with you in 2021. What changes have you made in your company since then? 

Daniel Sieberer: As a manufacturing industry, we require very large amounts of material, energy, and labor. The war-induced energy crisis and energy policies of the past decades, as well as inflation resulting from the coronavirus crisis, have led to a significant increase in all cost factors that we use in production. Therefore, we have focused on sustainability and the circular economy. We have invested mainly in separation, cleaning, and size reduction processes, as well as in the automation of material transport. We process plastic waste into new products. Of the approximately 10,000 tons of plastics we currently process, about 7,000 tons are waste. That is three times as much as in 2021. Due to geopolitical uncertainty, including restructuring, we must become more independent from raw material countries in Europe in my opinion, and perceive the circular economy as an opportunity. In recent decades, there has been too much reliance on the laurels of the past, which is now resulting in increasingly poor economic performance and losses of prosperity. Germany and Europe need new, viable future visions that can give us a sustainable competitive advantage, also in the geopolitical context. As GIWA, we have also focused on the reusable sector. With plastic, a lot of single-use can be replaced by reusable options. 

Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Sieberer, what motivated you to take over GIWA and what did you do before? 

Daniel Sieberer: Plastic has a very bad reputation in society — you immediately think of images of plastic in the oceans. However, the indestructibility of the material is both a curse and a blessing at the same time. It was precisely this property that fascinated me when purchasing the company. The word ‘plastic’ includes the term ‘art’ — the material is so versatile. Previously, I had been on the board of another company for about ten years, but I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. In my previous professional stages, I have been able to gather a lot of experience. That's why I eventually decided to invest all my savings from years of work as an employee, including my own home, into purchasing GIWA to start my own path. 

Wirtschaftsforum: How have you changed the company in recent years? 

Daniel Sieberer: We have greatly advanced automation and optimized many processes. This enables us to work much more efficiently. 

Wirtschaftsforum: How many employees do you have and what is your revenue? 

Daniel Sieberer: We employ 150 people and generate a revenue of about 30 million EUR. 

Wirtschaftsforum: How do you see yourself in the market compared to the competition? 
 
Daniel Sieberer: I see us very well positioned, as we focus on future topics such as circular economy and product development. In these areas, we look far beyond the obvious. I am convinced that as a newcomer, together with the team I am building here, I can offer new impulses with added value to the customers in our industries.

Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Sieberer, please give us an insight into your product range. 

Daniel Sieberer: The construction industry is a big CO2 culprit, as all the materials used in production emit a lot of CO2. In this context, for example, we have developed a new building system with a customer that improves the CO2 footprint of buildings. The customer is called GreenCode and is the technologically leading manufacturer of precast concrete plants in Europe. We have very powerful machines and can process large quantities. In addition, we specialize in tool relocation. We take over the tools from companies that cannot survive in the market and continue to produce for their clients. The weakness of the German industry has led to strong competition in the plastics processing industry – with corresponding consequences. We also take over the complete logistics for the customer and even do shipping via Amazon.

Wirtschaftsforum: Are your orders custom or do you have rather a standard portfolio? 

Daniel Sieberer: Most of our production is individually tailored to each customer. Our clients include many well-known brands such as Bosch, Siemens, or BMW. However, we also develop our own products, such as a base for office swivel chairs made from 100% recycled plastic, currently in development. 

Wirtschaftsforum: Can you name another product example? 

Daniel Sieberer: An example is plant pedestals: With Dehner Garden Center, we have an agreement that they send us their used or broken plant pedestals, which we then recreate. I appreciate when companies contribute to resource conservation. After all, resource scarcity is one of the major challenges of our time.

Wirtschaftsforum: What sets your company apart from the competition? 

Daniel Sieberer: In addition to the aforementioned topics, regionality also plays a major role. Transport has become a significant cost factor in addition to being ecologically detrimental. Proximity to customers is thus a competitive advantage – especially when it is possible to minimize the labor factor in the product through automation, which is becoming increasingly important given rising labor costs in Germany. Furthermore, we score with the highest quality, delivery reliability, and industry understanding.