Playing always happens, especially best with Siku
Interview with Jörg Stermann, CEO of Sieper GmbH
For 100 years, Sieper GmbH has been manufacturing 'grandchild-worthy' toys under the brand names siku and Wiking. Now, with the Toddys, a new product line is introduced for the very young, and in other areas too, the company, based on its long tradition, actively shapes the transformation in the toy world. CEO Jörg Stermann spoke with Wirtschaftsforum about his high quality standards, the challenges of the digital world, and the joy of playing at every age.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Stermann, Sieper GmbH is celebrating its 100th company anniversary this year. What plans are there for this special event?
Jörg Stermann: For this round birthday, we will of course launch some special products, with which we especially want to please our long-time fans and collectors. In our entire external presentation, however, we have always emphasized our brands – particularly our core brand siku – much more clearly than the actual company. Thus, the name siku is certainly much better known than the name Sieper.
Wirtschaftsforum: How important is coherent brand management over several generations for a toy manufacturer?
Jörg Stermann: Indeed, we know many adults who played with our toy cars and other products as children themselves and now wish to pass on this experience to their own children. In doing so, they are often even able to excite their offspring with the siku toys from their own childhood, because despite some signs of wear and tear that occur over the years with any toy, our products are capable of being passed down to grandchildren. We have been developing and producing the highest quality standards for 100 years, making it possible for future generations to also enjoy our toys.
Wirtschaftsforum: In the 100 years of company history, many things have also changed in the toy market: Can tactile toys still compete with digital rivals among the particularly young target group?
Jörg Stermann: Despite all the digital attractions: The tactile will remain – especially for the very youngest, for whom we are launching our own product line with our new brand Toddys by siku. Children from 18 months old, for whom we have developed our Toddys, need to first playfully understand the world, and to do that they need to use all their senses: seeing, hearing, and above all, touching. This experience will never be replaced by purely digital offerings, and that's why we see digital possibilities more as a complement to our products.
Wirtschaftsforum: To what extent have digital technologies been integrated into Sieper's toys?
Jörg Stermann: For our sikuControl products, for example, we have developed our own app that you can download for free onto your smartphone to control your siku tractor or excavator via a Bluetooth connection from your mobile device. Thanks to this technological advancement, you no longer need a device-specific external remote control and at the same time enjoy even greater playing pleasure. Additionally, our new New Holland RC tractor features a total of 22 LED lights, which you can make blink remotely – thus, there are no limits to creativity and playing fun.
Wirtschaftsforum: Keynote Creativity: How important is it that children learn to understand the world with their toys?
Jörg Stermann: This is certainly a core idea that has shaped the entire company over the last 100 years. Children learn through play and create their own worlds in the process. This is particularly evident in our Toddys for children aged 18 months and older. As part of this product line, we have developed various teams consisting of a figure and a vehicle or aircraft, each with their own names and stories, for example, Harry with his fire truck Heply or Leo in his little airplane Loopy. Children can then tactilely and playfully learn how to handle the vehicle and the figure, thereby strengthening their motor skills. Moreover, they can combine and endlessly expand the individual Toddys vehicles and figures – and when you watch the children, you can undoubtedly see how they completely immerse themselves in the world they are creating with their Toddys.
Wirtschaftsforum: In your day-to-day corporate life, you always keep the wishes and needs of the youngest in mind. Does sustainability therefore play a special role for Sieper?
Jörg Stermann: Of course – that's why we have developed packaging for our Toddys that is completely free of plastic, including the inlay. Our attention to detail extends not only to our product portfolio but also to our manufacturing processes. As a brand manufacturer, we must ultimately be judged by our words when it comes to our sustainability promise.
Wirtschaftsforum: The Sieper GmbH has experienced many crisis times in its 100-year history – did the coronavirus pandemic still pose entirely new challenges for your company?
Jörg Stermann: The good thing about our industry is: There's always playing, in good times as well as bad. Indeed, we had introduced our Toddys in spring 2020 at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, just a few weeks before the first lockdown was impending in Europe. Generally, our distribution channels are strongly oriented towards brick-and-mortar retail, which is due to the special tactile nature of our products, and of course, we felt the corresponding impacts. At the same time, our e-commerce business experienced a tremendous boost during this period and we are proud of the disproportionate growth we have been able to record in this distribution channel over the past two years.