60 years emuco
What memories do you have of the founding of emuco and the early years of the company?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: Of course, I only know the story as told by my long-standing business partner Günter. Ernst Müller founded the company in1964. Günter joined the company quickly and the two worked together succesfully for a long time. My own connection began around 1986, when I was studying business administration at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, the company founder Ernst Müller fell seriously ill.
In consulation with Günter, we decided together that I would abandon my studies and join the company immediatly. First as an employee, later as a partner. I have never regretted this decision.
What were the biggest challenges at the beginning, and how did you overcome them?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: The initial challenges were that I had only a little knowledge of the products and the industry. It required a rapid absorption of specialist knowledge. I was thrown in at the deep end and started actively visiting customers. This was different to today, as customer visits were often made without fixed appointments. I specialized in particular in the comnpany Coroplast, which produced adhesive tapes, plastic-insulated cables and, at the time, profiles and tubes.
What does it mean to you personally to be celebrating emuco´s 60th anniversary?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: I am extremely proud of the success, especially because I have been closely associated with the company for 38 years now. It fills me with pride to see how we have managed the transformation from a pure commercial agency to a trading company with its own production and warehouse.
Over the years, I have seen many companies come and go, and I am particularly pleased that we are still well positioned and succesful after 60 years.
What milestones has emuco reached on the way to its 60th anniversary and how has the company changed over the years, particularly in terms of products, services and market presence?
GÜNTER HAUPRICHT: Emuco started out purely as a commercial agency. Over the decades, Klaus and I have transformed the company away from pure commercial agency to intermediate trade (drop shipments), our own warehouse and finally our own production. The focus was always on the European cable and wire rope industry.
What factors would you consider key to emuco´s success and were there certain strategies or decisions that were particularly importantg for the company’s growth?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: Günter’s friendship with our former business partner and later consultant and friend, Himel Gupta, a cable engineer and designer, set the course for the growth and restructuring of our company. Through his suggestions, we were motivated to become actively involved in the Asian market, particularly in India, China and to some extent Thailand, as well as other regions.
What challenges have you faced during your time as owner and what important lessons have you learned from them? Are there any decisions that you would make differently in hinsight?
GÜNTER HAUPRICHT: The experience has shown that investments often require patience and it is important to give the company the time it needs to develop positively. This applies in particular to new investments, especially in the area of machinery, where a certain period of time is required to achieve amortization and move into the profit phase.
A fundamental lesson that we have learned over the decades and that has proven its worth is the principle in dealing with customers, suppliers and partners: ”Keep a sense of proportion”. It is crucial to not only focus on short-term success, but to always act according to the motto: “You see each other twice in life” in order to strive for long-term cooperation based on partnership.
How important is innovation for long-term competitiveness and are there any specific innovations or technologies that the company is particularly proud of?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: Historically speaking, Ernst Müller must be mentioned first and foremost. He was a buyer at a cable factory called Felten & Guilleaume in Cologne before he set up his own business in his mid-forties.
At that time, natural fibres, especially jute, were often used for the insulation and filling of cables. However, jute had disadvantages such as irregularities and thickening. Ernst Müller’s idea was to replace this natural fiber with a synthetic yarn, specifically a polypropylene yarn. The advantages were obvious: uniformity, guaranteed freedom from knots and the ability to run machines faster. Together with Lankhorst Group, he put this idea into action. I still remember today that emuco received its first major orders after ten years of introductory work, first at Siemens and then at Felten & Guilleaume in Cologne.
Today, there is no cable factory in the world that does not use polypropylene i some way. Ernst Müller and emuco have made a significant contribution in this area.
How have the markets in which your company operates changed over the years, how has the industry as a whole developed and how has your company reacted to this?
GÜNTER HAUPRICHT: We have continuously tried to adapt our range and introduce new products, always with a focus on the European cable and wire rope industry as well as some specific niches.
At the same time, emuco has grown from a regional supplier, some of which were active throughout Germany, to a global player that now serves customers throughout Europe and in some cases even worldwide, both on the sales and purchasing side.
Our expansion in this are has been impressive. The cable industry has changed considerably in recent decades. We have benefited greatly from the increase in cable production, particularly in Eastern Europe. We were already present in this market in the early days and now have many customers in this region.
At the same time, there has been a market shakeout in all sectors, with some companies growing enormously through innovation or takeovers. Nevertheless, there are still numerous large, medium-sized and smaller cable plants, which is very important for us in order not to be completely dependent on a single group, an approach that we have successfully pursued.
Ernst Müller already said at the time, that the cable industry us a stable market as cables will always be needed regardless of peace or war and current developments, such as the current focus on renewable energies. This perspective on the future is also confirmed from our point of view.
How has the relationship with customers and buisness partners developed over the years and what significance do long-term customer relationships have for your company?
GÜNTER HAUPRICHT: The importance of long-term customer relationships for our company is immense. We continue to benefit from the fact that we have customers who have worked with emuco from the very beginning, i.e. for six decades now. Over the years relationships have evolved.
Not only have business relationships developed, but also friendships, business friendships and partnerships that are characterized by a high degree of mutual respect and trust.
What role does the emuco team play in your success, and are there any particular employees who stand out and would you describe emuco’s corporate culture?
KLAUS HAUPRICHT: Over the years, we have grown from a pure family buisness with 3 employees, which of course no longer consist exclusively of family members.
I would like to highlight two points in particular. Firstly, Thomas Schönung, our current technical manager, he played a significant role around 13 years ago. He marked the starting point for the move towards in-house production and a large warehouse in Haßloch. Thomas has undoubtedly made a meaningfull contribution to our long-term success and the impressive increase in turnover.
On the other hand, I am particularly pleased that my daughter Nadja has joined emuco. This will ensure the necessary modernization of the company with new ideas and perspectives for the coming decades.
In summary, the corporate culture is based on trusting and understanding cooperation. The fact that we now have many employees who have been with emuco for many years is clear proof that our strategy is the right one.
How do you see the future of the company in the next few years and are there any specific goals or projects that you are aiming for in the future?
NADJA HAUPRICHT: emuco should grow continuously, but carefully. It is important to me that we achieve this in small steps to ensure that the company remains healthy. In this context, we are planning to increase production in Haßloch and invest in new machines and the expansion of production and storage capacities.
My vision:
- Cooperation instead of competition. I believe this is essential at all levels. We are a small company and I am convinced that we “small” ones should support each other.
- Openness, honesty and understanding. That makes things easier and saves a lot of time.
My father & my uncle have done a lot of things right over the last few decades. The success of emuco after 60 years proves them right. The world keeps turning and so processes and people are constantly changing. I hope that we move with progress and learn to accept these changes. Not everything can always work straight away and not everything “old” necessarily needs to be improved. Incidentally, that was my first learning at emuco!
I would like to dedicate the final word to our employees. You are doing a fantastic job! Thank you for spending a large part of your lives at emuco.
A company can never exist without a well- functioning team. Our employees should work in a company that puts “people” first. They should feel comfortable, heard and valued. I hope that we will continue to work together for many years to successfully position emuco for the future.