Technology Requires Attitude
Interview with Axel Schulze, Managing Director of HUGO PETERSEN GmbH
While many plant manufacturers are focusing on significant new business, HUGO PETERSEN GmbH in Wiesbaden has been consciously focusing on the optimization of existing facilities since the 1990s. A strategic decision that makes the company largely independent of economic crises. In the interview, CEO Axel Schulze explains why trust is more important than technology and why Germany needs to rediscover its engineering culture.
The story begins in 1906 in a zinc smelting plant. The founder Hugo Petersen, then a plant manager, was annoyed by poorly controllable flue gas cleaning systems. His solution: He developed modifications for the lead chamber process for sulfuric acid production and turned it into his own business. Over 250 plants were built worldwide by the time of World War II. After the destruction of the Berlin office, the company relocated to Wiesbaden in 1945.
Modernization instead of new construction
Today, HUGO PETERSEN GmbH generates a stable double-digit million-EUR annual turnover with nearly 70 specialists. The three pillars: 70% sulfuric acid plants, 25% gas cleaning, 5% hydrochloric acid. However, the real secret to success lies in the
Business Strategy. "We can hardly live off new installations in our field today," explains Axel Schulze, who has been with the company since 1982 and is now the CEO. The solution: Brownfield instead of Greenfield. Instead of building new facilities, HUGO PETERSEN modernizes existing ones. "We have ongoing orders," says Axel Schulze. While competitors experience constant ups and downs during crises, HUGO PETERSEN remains stable. The reason: There is always a need for modernization, whereas investment decisions for 100-million-EUR new installations can take years. Being part of the CAC corporate group with 300 employees creates additional flexibility for large projects.
Trust as a currency
The business model is based on long-term customer relationships. "We have clients for whom we have been working for over 80 years," emphasizes Axel Schulze. Trust is more important than pure technology. He sees not only the technical superiority of HUGO PETERSEN GmbH as a crucial factor in the acquisition and execution of contracts but also the decades-long customer relationships, particularly the deep insight into the customers' processes and requirements. HUGO PETERSEN accompanies customers throughout the entire life cycle of their installations, provides free consultations, and thus builds trust. "Execution is sales," is Axel Schulze's credo. "During execution, we sell the next job." The greatest challenge Axel Schulze sees is the shortage of skilled workers. His diagnosis: Germany began to demonize technology in the 1990s. "We are a country that has always lived on being innovative. We need to make the job of technology exciting again." Therefore, he plans events at universities and high schools to inspire young people for engineering work. At HUGO PETERSEN GmbH, they rely on flat hierarchies, training on the job, and a pronounced error culture. Axel Schulze himself, technically retired, continues to work out of conviction: "I promised my young colleagues to be present at the 120th anniversary celebration."