What is your earliest memory of LAPP as a company?
I have to think back a long way. My earliest memory of LAPP is at my grandparents’ house – I must have been about four or five years old. At that time, the annual Christmas party for the managing directors of the LAPP Group was always held there – even after there was already a company building.
There, at the original location of the LAPP Group, everyone sat together in a converted garage at beer tables and later at chairs and tables. And we children were right in the middle. We were then introduced to all the people, often in English, although of course we couldn’t speak or understand English yet. I can still see the pictures very clearly. But of course I didn’t have an understanding of what was behind it all, hundreds of employees from different countries.
When did you realise that you were born into a large family business?
I would say my childhood and youth were pretty normal. And I think my friends from that time would agree. Of course, I noticed that my father travelled a lot. However, it was more important to my parents to allow me to develop freely: school, childhood and life in focus. The company didn’t play a major role for me at that time.
And we also have to realise that LAPP has grown enormously since then and, conversely, was not as big as it is today. We didn’t want for anything, but my family reinvested most of the money straight back into the company – from today’s perspective, of course, that also paid off. Things only changed when I started studying.
But when I was about thirteen years old, there was definitely a wow moment: LAPP has been organising an international football and volleyball tournament for all employees for about 30 years. The event takes place every year at the location of a different national company and has always been a highlight in the calendar. The first time I was there, I saw and realised for the first time how many people from all over the world work for my family.
You have repeatedly emphasised that your greatest goal is to hand over a healthy company to the next generation. What does that mean to you and how do you intend to go about it?
It is common knowledge that the third generation in family businesses often faces particular challenges. There is a certain alienation from the company, as it was often the previous generations who built much of the business. Due to the sheer size of the group, you can no longer keep track of every detail. My uncle and father co-founded almost every foreign company. They had a completely different knowledge of LAPP’s history.
It is a challenge to preserve even what the second generation at LAPP has passed on to us. But maybe we can even go one step further? That’s the goal I’ve set myself. It is important to me to find the right balance between stability and risk in everything we do.
Achieving sales at all costs with the risk of becoming dependent on banks? No thanks. Jumping on short-term trends with a lot of money? Also no. But if we continue to stay close to our customers, think critically and make good decisions with our strong, global team, then LAPP can and will grow a lot with us and in the future. I am convinced of that.
As the father of two children, how would you like to approach the generational transition?
LAPP must never become a restriction or a chore for my children. I want them to grow up with as much freedom as possible and be able to pursue their interests. They should simply try out all the things they enjoy. As parents, we are in the privileged position of being able to make many things possible for them.
This is very important to me, because I firmly believe that you can only be good at something if you enjoy it. Compulsion never leads to fun. I enjoy doing what I do. That’s why I enjoy going to work and also put up with the restrictions of my job: challenging situations, long days, lots of travelling. But I can’t expect the same from everyone. My parents set a good example for us and this is now also very important to me for my own children.
What would you like to pass on to your children? Would you do anything differently from your own previous generation?
I want to hand over a prosperous, well-positioned company with the icing on the cake, perhaps transferring a little more than what we already have today. Values are important to me. I would like to pass on the courage that you need as an entrepreneur, for example when you have to make decisions in difficult situations. It is important to be able to make decisions – even if they turn out to be wrong in hindsight. That’s always better than standing still. I also think it’s important to always remain inquisitive and to want to learn throughout your life. We need these skills in order to develop ourselves and our environment, to break new ground or to find or optimise technologies.
My father and uncle organised the handover very well for us and made it easy for us to take on responsibility and tasks. Even compared to many other family businesses, we have done really well. I wouldn’t do anything differently, but would rather follow their good example.
Corona, the global economic crisis, war in Europe, a generational change at LAPP and the birth of two children at the same time – that was quite a lot of turbulence and events all at once. How do you feel looking back on the last three years?
Above all, I look back with the question: am I doing justice to everything, or have I done justice to everything? A child alone demands 100% attention in one day. So does the work as CEO, because the company never sleeps. When we sleep in Germany, our colleagues in America get up and then again those in Asia. It was always important for me to find a good balance, to be well rooted and grounded, otherwise you can’t hold your own in these really turbulent times and in the midst of all the unpredictability. It’s easier with the right life partner, so my biggest thanks go to my wife, who does an incredible amount. My job wouldn’t be possible without her. And in general, you need understanding from the people close to you in your life for all the travelling or when you’re feeling tense because of all the stress.
The dual role of Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO EMEA: was that a big burden overall? How easy was it for you to hand over responsibility for EMEA?
It was definitely challenging, but I still look back on it positively, as I was able to work on many operational issues during this time. I got to know the EMEA region very well and was close to the business, the customers and the challenges. As it was planned from the outset that I would hand over the role one day, I didn’t find it too difficult. It was just important for me to hand over the tasks to a successor properly.
What makes it easier in any case is knowing that you have good people around you who you can trust completely. I handed over the EMEA role to Michael Seddig in the knowledge that he can take it on and will be a good sparring partner. I rather think that others couldn’t believe that I was really stepping back from the role completely and that I was no longer often to be found on the floor across the street from the EMEA CEO’s office.
Protectionism, trade wars, tariffs, Trump: what does this mean for LAPP?
The global political developments of recent months confirm that LAPP and the Lapp family have been on the right path for decades. Today, we have three strong regions that can function almost autonomously. Developing and producing locally for locally and utilising global synergies – that is currently a real advantage. We are not as dependent on global developments as many other companies.
This gives us the time to react carefully to situations and think long-term. Hot topics are currently popping up with a lot of vigour, but they also cool down again quickly. My motto is: Don’t fall into blind actionism. Every pendulum swings back again. We make well-founded decisions and prepare ourselves as best we can for the medium and long-term scenario.
What would you say to employees who are worried about their professional and economic future due to the global and news situation?
I am really optimistic about the future: LAPP is in a rock-solid position, the KPIs and figures speak for themselves. We have little debt and a good starting point. When we look at our markets, I see far more opportunities than risks: Energy, digital communication, robotics. Solar parks, data centres, factories. These are the big markets of the future. And they all need our products and solutions.
But we have to do our homework: Our competition doesn’t just come from Germany or Europe, but from Asia, Latin America, from all over the world. The market is changing. Perhaps China will become the new country for machine and plant manufacturers instead of Germany. Then we must be able to offer them the right products at the right price. We have to increase efficiency and build the right structures in order to remain successful in the future.
What role do the current discussions surrounding Germany as a business location play in this?
Germany is still the third largest economy in the world. With only 82 million people. What we achieve is immense! Our products and services are world class. Geographically, we are at the centre of Europe. We have a free education system that almost nobody appreciates. We need to build on this and bring about change in order to maintain our prosperity. But this requires will and commitment. This will only succeed if all citizens pull together with politicians and companies. If our economy is in crisis, we cannot discuss the 4-day week, for example.
From a global perspective, Germany has been the biggest beneficiary of globalisation; it has brought us prosperity. Otherwise, we would never have become world export champion. And that’s why we should now fight to ensure that the globalised world continues to exist. Not because of ourselves, but because we recognise that it is a successful model. We need the EU for this, we need our allies, we need cooperation and networks with all the other countries. I would like to see a Europe that thinks collectively instead of being paralysed by individual interests.
What would you like to say to LAPP’s customers and partners?
The message is simple: we are and will continue to be a reliable partner at our customers’ side – come what may. It is important that we continue to develop good solutions together with our customers and partners and remain in dialogue at all times in order to tackle challenges as a team. This also means communicating as equals.
For us, it is essential that we continue to develop together with our customers and partners. Only then can we at LAPP utilise our full strength against our competitors and on the global market. Only if we work towards a common goal, whether with customers or partners, can we achieve fruitful win-win situations. That is our vision.