When Craftsmanship Meets Industry
Interview with Paul Haacke, Managing Director of Portawin GmbH
Craftsmanship has a golden foundation. This is a proverb that was long valid and still holds true today, despite the crisis in construction and many bureaucratic hurdles. Paul Haacke agrees. For the Managing Director of Portawin GmbH from Essen, the special appeal of the company lies in creating something substantial while being modern and digitally progressive.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Haacke, you are a trained carpenter, studied wood technology at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences with a focus on interior finishing, were responsible for large projects at Kaefer Construction, also completed an MBA, and joined Portawin in 2020 as part of a succession arrangement. What did Portawin stand for at that time?
Paul Haacke: Portawin was a classic medium-sized family business in its 2nd generation with a history of over 100 years. Since there was no family successor, the company had been sold to an investor in 2014, but Mr. Kriege continued as CEO. The offer to join there was very interesting to me given my professional background. I had two years to learn about the processes and functions before I joined Mr. Kriege in the executive management. When he retired in August 2024 at nearly 80 years of age as planned, I became the sole CEO. Since early 2024, at the request of Mr. Kriege, we have been operating as Portawin.
Wirtschaftsforum: Why Portawin and not another company?
Paul Haacke: Portawin is a healthy, solidly positioned company. As a trained carpenter, I love working with wood; this connection is deeply rooted in me. I appreciate having a real workshop where tangible, concrete things are made. In the companies where I previously worked, we mainly dealt with subcontractors; there was no specific own product, but contracts were passed on or the components to be installed were manufactured and assembled by third parties. Here, we have our own production with everything that goes with it; I value this highly. For me, it is an exciting challenge to lead a company that has one foot in the industry and the other in craftsmanship, and with which both industrial mass production is possible, and at the same time the know-how and flexibility of a craft business are present.
Wirtschaftsforum: What does the portfolio look like?
Paul Haacke: The focus of our offering includes wooden and wood-aluminum windows; the latter are our main focus. In addition, we offer PVC windows, wooden interior doors, mullion-transom constructions for facades. High-quality interior construction with counter systems, kitchen installations, handrails, partition walls, or built-in cabinets make up a smaller share.
Wirtschaftsforum: Where are the company's strengths?
Paul Haacke: With just under 100 employees, we are well-sized; moreover, our modern machinery is a real asset. Portawin is broad and versatile in its setup and very flexible. We can cushion a slump in demand for new construction by redeploying employees, especially in projects involving wood-aluminum windows. What is crucial is that we have excellent employees, very good technicians. This is why we excel particularly when it gets complex, when different and demanding tasks need to be performed for a construction project.
Wirtschaftsforum: Are there reference projects that reflect this competence?
Paul Haacke: The largest order in our history is the vocational school campus in Moers; for this project, we supplied wood-aluminum windows and facades for the gymnasium. Currently, we are working on a gymnasium and a secondary school in Düsseldorf, supplying wood-aluminum windows and entrance facilities. An exemplary project in the area of heritage protection is the State Chancellery in Düsseldorf, for which we have manufactured high-quality built-in cabinets and the wall paneling in the hall for press conferences. We primarily work for the public sector; this means that 80% of the orders come through tenders, the rest through medium-sized general contractors and project developers.
Wirtschaftsforum: Portawin is a company with a long tradition. What changes and innovations have you brought about?
Paul Haacke: Since the company was very much tailored to one person, we have broken up various structures. We want to communicate more openly, involve employees more, and delegate responsibility. In the past, a lot was controlled by quantities, but today we want to grow healthily through quality. We are increasingly dealing with project management, focusing on optimizing manufacturing and assembly quality, and pushing forward with digitalization. We want to use the possibilities that IT offers while preserving the character of a craft business.