With Passion and Attention to Detail
Interview with Benjamin Lück, Managing Director of TEUTOGUSS GmbH
Foundries play a crucial role in industrial manufacturing by casting liquid metal into precise molds. From engine parts in vehicles to complex machine parts for aerospace – cast parts are the foundation for numerous products in everyday life. TEUTOGUSS GmbH specializes in casting precision parts for mechanical engineering.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Lück, what milestones have brought the company TEUTOGUSS to its current position?
Benjamin Lück: The company was bought out of bankruptcy on April 1, 2023, by an investor, Mr. Wolf Detlef Hauffe, who also took over the management. On July 1, 2023, I started at TEUTOGUSS as the technical manager and after the sudden death of Mr. Hauffe, I took over the management as planned.
Wirtschaftsforum: Could you provide some key figures? How would you describe your role?
Benjamin Lück: Currently, there are 40 to 50 employees at TEUTOGUSS. Last year's revenue was 7.3 million EUR, and this year we are aiming to surpass 8 million EUR. According to the current figures, this is a realistic goal. Essentially, I am operationally active—although strategic issues must not be neglected. At TEUTOGUSS, I want to achieve a certain external representation to be able to attract skilled workers and new apprentices. Accordingly, we have become more active in sales, are updating our homepage, and are bringing our photos up to date. The energy-intensive foundry industry is currently in a very uncertain phase due to volatile raw material prices. Therefore, it is obvious that planning is very difficult. It is therefore all the more important to have experts on board and that both processes and facilities are running stably.
Wirtschaftsforum: What does the product range in your portfolio look like?
Benjamin Lück: Approximately 90% of our products are processed further as components for machine tools, lathes, and milling machines.
Wirtschaftsforum: Do you have any plans to expand your products?
Benjamin Lück: Yes, indeed, acquiring new customers is a major issue. We definitely want to avoid finding ourselves empty-handed in three or four months. Currently, we are still living off our order backlog and do not need to worry.
Wirtschaftsforum: Which channels do you rely on for marketing?
Benjamin Lück: We want to equip our homepage with a newsroom to publish our articles there. As for social media, LinkedIn and Xing are more suitable for us.
Wirtschaftsforum: The political leadership has not exactly covered itself in glory when it comes to energy-intensive industries. What message or wish would you have for the politicians?
Benjamin Lück: I wish for an understanding that certain energy-intensive companies are very important for society. One merely needs to look at the number of cast parts we come into contact with over the course of a day. From manhole covers to the machines in the background to mobility—without these products, our entire daily life would collapse. Moreover, cast parts are necessary to become climate neutral. If nothing changes in Germany, we cannot compete in the international market. Another problem is that the government only focuses on large enterprises. The medium-sized businesses with about 40 to 500 employees are left behind. Personally, I find this very regrettable because these smaller companies collectively create a lot of jobs and contribute significantly to the value creation in our society.
Wirtschaftsforum: Where would you like TEUTOGUSS to be in the next three to five years?
Benjamin Lück: My goal is to bring the foundry up to date with the latest technology. Furthermore, I hope for a lower average age in the workforce and aim to have an apprenticeship quota of 10 to 15%.
Wirtschaftsforum: Is there any personal motivation that we should publish?
Benjamin Lück: At four years old, I was first in a foundry through my father – a sector where unfortunately too many companies have disappeared from the market in recent years. My goal is for the foundry to remain stable under my leadership and continue to provide secure jobs.